Changes and Sameness

Jul 28th, 2014 02:31 PM

Ablaze with light, the Chapter House stands stalwart against the encroaching darkness presented by the surrounding land. Outside, a pea-green peddle bike stands next to the veranda; the only signal that someone had to make the trek to the House.

It is a clear night overhead and a pleasant breeze moves over the small lake lapping at the edges of its banks.

The Home Base for most of the Dragons in one Chapter has remained largely remained unchanged. The faces may have changed, the amenities moved around to suit, new security measures added but it is still the same welcoming Edwardian Mansion it has, seemingly, always been. That, in and of itself, may be a comfort.

David paces upstairs in the Library, two books settled over his left arm in an attempt to cross reference both of them simultaneously. A leather satchel sits slouched in a seat nearby as well as a blazer that is draped over it unceremoniously. One phone sits vigilant near to a notebook in case Cedar Fields calls him, but at the moment it is as silent as the grave.

Living closer to the Chapter House is a blessing, allowing David the small luxury of its stillness in the moments before it erupts into the night-to-night activities of the Order of Dragons.

LittleFox Tracy Burns Jag Penelope

**Tracy Burns** · Jul 28th, 2014 03:45 PM

Tracy rode up to Chapter House on her bike, carrying another passenger with her. Having recently returned to Sacramento, the redheaded Gangrel figured it wasn't a bad idea to pay a visit to her old home. While there was a chance that visiting the Chapter House could bring back some fond...or maybe painful memories, the Supplicant knew that she had to deal with her shit and just face her problems. It was no good to ignore what had happened, and she simply had to put those feelings behind her now that she was back. Besides, Penelope deserved to visit the place as well, considering the Haunt was a Dragon on her own right and would likely spend much of her time in the Edwardian mansion.

"We are almost there," she called out over her shoulder, just as they pulled up in front of the house.

The Gangrel killed the engine off as they reached their destination, hopping off her bike as she began to lead her companion towards the house. "This is it," she said to the pale Nosferatu, a little smile forming across her lips. As she reached the front door, Tracy knocked on it three times, waiting for a response. Her emerald green eyes grew distant for a brief moment, as she half-expected a certain ghoul to answer the door for her and inform her that the Grand Wyrm was waiting for her in the library. The feelings of déjà vu were slightly overwhelming at first, but she did her best to shake them off and just focus on the present.

Get a grip.

She turned to the Haunt, offering a quick smile as she tried to distract herself. "I'm sure someone will answer soon," she said, falling back to silence as she fought off the memories of her first nights with Max.

Jul 28th, 2014 04:48 PM

The quiet Haunt closed her eyes as she rode with her new friend, holding high around the redhead's waist. She let herself listen to the loud sounds of the city and the wind rushing past her face as she tried to simply clear her head of the fear and anxiety she had felt in the last week. "I'm just along for the ride, girl. I trust you to get me there." she responds, smiling slightly. The rumbling of the engine was relaxing now, as she began to become accustomed to the sound of it as something familiar and safe.

She adjusted her clothes for seemingly no reason, considering the disheveled state they were all in, slumped her shoulders when she realized this herself, and then began to follow Tracy to the front of the building. Her eyes grew wide as she looked around at the magnificence of the building before her. Her hood slipped off of her head as she looked up to see it all. A smile crept across her face. The Albino laughed appreciatively while she walked behind her Gangrel friend, shaking her head with pleasure.

"I can wait. It's lovely enough out here to keep me busy for several nights..."

Jul 28th, 2014 06:21 PM

Roaring thunder breaks the placid silence. It is far off at first but it comes closer and closer as the seconds tick by. While distant thunder transforms into a present roar, the Mortician sets his books down on the table and heads to the second floor overlook of the foyer. At first, David thinks it is Teodor Raluca's triumphant return to the Sacramento Praxis; the only other Dragon David knew that rode. However, his Indian breathed differently and the thought was dismissed when three confident knocks reverberated through the House.

Knocking doesn't happen often. Even Alziare let himself in. David, cants his head to the side, absently taking the steps down the stairs, checking the roll of his sleeves. One of the many nervous tics he's known to do.

Tall, thin to the point of lanky, a Mekhet with a dull-brown gaze emerges from the Door to the chapter-house. Déjà vu lurks but David isn't the man Tracy left behind. Though the Mortician's Companion is masked as the monkey's paw to what the Shadow wanted most, it shirked at the sudden confrontation of two unknown beasts. It recognized them from the cacophony and disharmony of Court but it did not make the Companion any less loud.

David looks down, keeping The Man dominant over the Beast.

“Good evening,” David greets with an upper-Midwestern Candace. “Please, come in. How may I help you?” He offers a hand to shake, probably speaking of David's relative youth more than anything. “I am David Regan, Su--” a pause, “excuse me, Scribe of Equilibrium.” The title must have been a recent development. The Mekhet's ears are trained on how each woman introduces themselves.

**Tracy Burns** · Jul 29th, 2014 08:54 AM

As the door opened, Tracy's eyes widened slightly at the sight of David. There was definitely a certain resemblance to Max, and the feelings such a thing brought were like a punch in the gut. Get a grip, she told herself once more, trying not to make a fool out of herself. Fortunately her Beast remained quiet as the man answered the door, not sniffing out a challenge from the other Kindred. Taking a brief moment to settle her emotions, the petite Gangrel offered the man a pleasant smile. "Good evening," she said in response, greeting the lanky Mekhet. "The name's Tracy Burns, Supplicant of Terror." She paused for a moment before introducing her companion.

"And this is Penelope Rebane," said the redheaded Gangrel, gesturing towards the Haunt. "Also a member of the Order." Tracy fell silent for a moment after making the introduction, struggling with what to say next. "Ummm, I hope we haven't caught you at a bad time?" she said to the Mekhet, hoping that they were not intruding on his studies or anything of the sort. "Just got back into town a few nights ago, so I figured I'd stop by..." she added, letting her words trail off as she gave a little shrug.

Jul 29th, 2014 10:02 AM

Penelope stood off to the side of Tracy, staring up at the Mekhet with somewhat obvious relief.

No beast. Glorious inner peace for a little longer. Such a nice change.

She waved slowly, eyeing the man up and down carefully before softly remarking, "Also Supplicant of Terror. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister Regan." Her pale blue eyes met his for a moment, a fact she didn't seem aware of as she began to reach to lift off her hood when she suddenly realized it was already gone. She paused briefly, before simply doing the next step and pulling her long white hair messily out from under the folds of the knitted fabric. With a few strokes of her fingers, she attempted to tame it for a moment before sighing in defeat and merely waiting, embarrassed, for some form of instruction or indicator of what to do next.

Jul 29th, 2014 01:00 PM

“Don't worry about it,” David says while ushering the pair inside, closing and locking the door behind them. “It's a pleasure to meet you both Miss Burns, Miss Rebane.” The Shadow doesn't cut a striking figure, or really any sort of figure at all. He's soft-spoken, meek, bookish, and almost entirely forgettable in banal khakis and a green and white button-up shirt in tiny plaid.

David shifts a little beneath the Nosferatu's scrutiny.

A moment of silence follows before David suddenly offers, “I'll show you both around; there's a lot to see. If either of you have any questions I can answer, I'll try to.” The Mortician's left hand runs through his hair, messing up the half-curled strands of brown. Remembering that Tracy is a returning face, David confesses mostly to her, “I apologize in advance if I retread things you already know about the Chapter or if the Grand Wyrm has already gone over this with you.”

**Tracy Burns** · Jul 29th, 2014 02:07 PM

"Likewise," said Tracy in response to David, walking into the house after saying those words. Her emerald green eyes start to look around the place, searching for things that are familiar to them, and things that are not. After all, a lot can change in a year, even if that is a small amount of time for Kindred. A tiny smirk forms on the corner of her lips as she studies the room. "I like what you've done with the place," she offered, turning her attention back to the Mekhet.

"A tour would be greatly appreciated," she said, nodding at David's offer. The Gangrel expected that not everything would be in the same places she remembered, so getting familiar with the Chapter House and its changes would be beneficial for her. Besides, Penelope had never been to this place, and she figured that the Haunt would enjoy getting to walk around the mansion. "No apology is needed," she added after the Shadow's next words, wondering who had taken over the position of Grand Wyrm.

It can't be Max. Things are too different. He can't be here still. Its clearly not this guy either...so then who? Martha? I mean, that would make sense... the Gangrel thought to herself, losing herself in her own thoughts for a moment.

Jul 29th, 2014 04:13 PM

Penelope smiles at the Mekhet man as she notices his discomfort, a distracted look on her face. She begins to peer around at everything curiously, clearly only looking him over to get an idea of who he was in general. She tucks her hair behind her ears casually as they step over the threshold into the building, a distracted grin remaining on her face as she wanders through the atrium, following the other two kindred wistfully. She seems utterly enthralled by the architecture and decor, only half listening to their conversation. It's enough for her to feel the need to respond, "You just take me into rooms, and I'll follow around being impressed, okay?"

Jul 29th, 2014 05:22 PM

From the foyer, David sallies forth into the lounge first. Overstuffed chairs dot the landscape, promising rest to the world-weary Kindred. The television is off. “The First floor,” David explains “is semi-public. Non-members of the Order can be met here with little to no problem. Though if memory serves, only the Reeve has visited us since my time here.”

The others who intruded upon the Chapter House could hardly be called visitors, now could they?

The Shadow continues to walk and talk as he enters the dining room where a large formal set dominates. A set french of doors opens to the wrap-around deck outside where Lake Clarke glistens in the moonlight. Security measures are unobtrusive but not wholly invisible, with motion detectors and better locks holding the Order's secrets. Hard to tell, but the glass panes to the windows might have also been replaced.

As the trio enters the Kitchen, David notes, “The Kitchen is fully functional if you need it.” The cupboards are mostly bare – outside of glassware and dishware –, as is the refrigerator. It doesn't look as though anyone has used it with any real culinary purpose in sometime, especially without a ghoul in the house.

In the Public Library, David pauses and stops in his movement gesturing “This is the public section of our library. Though we might have to move its location to the Study next door.” There's a bit of a story here, as David glances to the walls of books remembering it as the epicenter of a crime. Renewing his movement, he leads Tracy and Penelope through the Study and back to the foyer.

David's hand on the bannister to the second floor, pausing to see if either woman had a question or two.