(Under Control) Guilty Feelings?

[Velma]

After the entire scene at Club Ember Velma picked up a cab to the Nox.

She saw the traffic lights and imagined how they would reflect from the diamonds she had stored in her clutch.

The Ravager smiled and wondered what sort of secret elicited such an expensive ransom. What sort of illegal activities were they hiding? Something to do with cameras, and maybe with the picture on the cellphone she had seen earlier…

Instinctively her hand strengthened her grip in her clutch. She dared not to lay a finger in the strange cellphone device.

The Daeva sent a message from her own phone to the Reeve asking for his assistance. She was also hoping someone else to be at the underground court to help.

After arriving the Succubus traversed the club in a hurried fashion and descended the stairs to see if the Reeve was already there. She knocked the door of his office thrice.

Knock knock knock

[West]

Tag to Wolven Pryde Dillon Connery . Dark Passenger Chris Wooding can write himself in to make the third and join the fun.

[Chris Wooding]

Chris is in Sacramento for hardly two weeks now, yet he feels as concerned about the Domain as if he never left. He contacted the Reeve to let him know he's back, and always willing to help*. To the Mekhet's surprise, that help was immediately needed.

So what he did was pack the back of his car with some random things he might need. Yes, that's still a Mini Cooper. He never cared for comments about how the car lacked manliness, Sorry, James Calloway, old friend. Motorcycles are still a one way ticket to torpor, in my opinion.

He put on clothes that he feels are good enough for many occasions, as long as it fits with his leather jacket - good against the occasional blood spatters. Then he made his way over to Nox, as soon as possible.

Just when he descended the stairs, he sees Velma knocking on the Reeve's door. In the following second, before a possible reply from within, Chris manages to say: Hi, Harpy Star?!' Not really as polite as usual, but she seems hurried, so he wonders if something bad has happened.

*

So I made an assumption, I hope that's okay? It seemed better than coincidentally being here at the right time

[Dillon Connery]

Dillon had gotten the text, but had thus far been unsuccessful in rounding up anyone who met the requirements that Velma had specified. It's just turning into one of those nights, where everyone is busy, or unavailable, or straight-up not answering him.

In a last-ditch effort to hook someone into whatever it is that the Harpy needs done, Dillon decides to do a circle around Elysium and see if he can drag some intelligent, dorky-looking neonate out by the ear and persuade them into cooperation.

It's the real reason he hasn't answered her text, yet. He doesn't have a sufficient answer. Not one that he's comfortable giving, anyway.

The Reeve is circling back to his office when he notices Velma herself and-- Chris Wooding, of all people!-- standing there waiting on him.

Voices, canine and hateful, growl in Dillon's ears at the familiar sight of the songstress. But given how often they've interacted over the years, it's barely even a tug at the leash.

So Dillon is already smiling, when he speaks.

"I don't think he's in there," he quips, casually.

He is dressed simply in a crisp white shirt with sleeves rolled to his elbows, and unbuttoned at the collar. Jeans he can move in, and the usual Doc Martens... he could be ready for a patrol, or throw on a blazer and hit any of the clubs. If it's a big night of poking around, maybe all of the above.

[Velma]

The Succubus had just knocked at the door when she heard both Chris and Dillon. The shadow’s voice was weightless and free from the usual weight of the beast that reflects and colors their interactions, the Reeve’s voice though, that one was heavy, suffused with sulfur and the weight of ages. It carried through even though Velma was long used to his presence.

”Reeve Connery!” There is a small but respectful nod and a smile at the observation.

Her head then turns to Chris.

”Mr. Wooding!” The Harpy had already met the shadow at her office a few days ago so there was no surprise in her tone or appearance. In fact she seemed to be somewhat in a hurry.

”I’m sorry for calling so abruptly but I trust there is a matter that needs to be addressed as soon as possible… by you.” There is a small pause as she looks to the Reeve. ”…by me.” Her finger points to herself and then she looks to the Shadow. ”And I trust Mr. Wooding will prove to be an invaluable help to…” The Ravager looks to the Shadow and smiles in a mix of kindness and playfulness.

”Maybe we can go to your Office Reeve Connery? Or someplace away from prying eyes and where we can sit?” It was just a suggestion, it was more born out of politeness than true necessity but you never knew what technology could do…

[Chris Wooding]

Chris turns around as he hears the voice, he steps back, shocked, and he prepares his body to get the hell away - with supernatural speed. Fucking hell. Enhanced blood almost runs through his veins, before he can stop himself.

'Reeve.' He says with a tiny voice. The man's Beast feels less familiar than the other 'familiar' Beasts in Sacramento. By habit, he clears his throat, then he can stand straight and make a respectful bow. 'Reeve Connery, good to see you.'

While Velma Star speaks, her silken voice calms the Shadow down. And he may even be invaluable, so by then he manages to return a playful smile to the Harpy.

'I will try my best, you can count on that.'

[Dillon Connery]

"Good evening, Harpy Star; Mister Wooding," Dillon greets with a friendly nod, as he slips his keys from his pocket. Closing in on them, he cants his head toward the door, as if to silently agree to her request and urge them inside with him.

He unlocks the door, steps in, and holds it for the other two.

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 empty, save for a wooden sheathed kaiken resting in the center. Dillon has yet to find a better place to display his trophy.

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.

He closes the door behind them, and gestures toward the couches. "Please, be comfortable.

"And by all means," this is playfully directed at Velma, "don't keep us in suspense any longer than is necessary."

[Velma]

Velma moves with her usual elegance inside the Reeve’s office, elegance punctuated with a bit of hurry and haste.

She didn’t took much time to notice the details in the Reeve’s Office… she was already intimate with them.

The Succubus takes a seat in the couch, crosses her legs and flattens her skirt. She was about to start talking when her gaze captured a small detail that made her smile widen.

I guess that’s one less sacrificial lamb… they should really stop breaking them or we might run out of them.

The Ravager shook the thought away but she stood admiring the Kaiken long enough to show the Reeve she knew what that meant.

“Well, I will start from the beginning I guess…” She begun, lifting her shoulders meekly.

”I was at club Ember when Seneschal Villiers voiced her concern to me… she believed a serial killer to be in the VIP room but was sketchy in her details, she said there was also something amiss, something she couldn’t quite put in words...” There was a small pause to give emphasis to her description.

”I asked the Seneschal to remain away from the VIP at a safe distance while I went ahead and investigated…” She looks both to Chris and Dillon to see if they were following through.

”It turns out that in the VIP room there were three persons, a man and two women, all of them big spenders. I approached them engaged to them to know a little more and at that moment decided that man didn’t seem like a serial killer. I even decided to show them some of the hospitality that Club Ember is known for… one of the women had left by then and wanted to know more.”

For a moment the Succubus ponders if she should go on describing some of the details of what hospitality in Club Ember actually means but she decided to spare the Savage and the Shadow the embarrassment.

”Amidst our conversation I noticed a strange cellphone, with a strange picture in it… it drew my attention more than anything.” Velma opens her clutch and produces the cellphone she had stolen from the man in the VIP.

”Now what actually got my attention was when one of the patrons in the VIP mentioned some special camera the first man which the Seneschal suspected turned violent, he broke a few champagne bottles in the other man’s head… a scary brawl, I had to intervene for him not to kill him.” The Ravager ponders for a while and decides to withdraw the small flask with diamonds she had received as a bribe and puts it on top of the table.

”What got me into suspecting that there was something more to this camera and cellphone was this flask of diamonds… I received it as a payment to let them take the man away…” The tone in Velma’s voice remained the same, no regret, no shame… in fact she was about to rationalize her actions.

”I found all that very odd, I decided to accept the bribe in order to earn their trust, whatever they are doing it clearly involves more than just the two of them… probably even the other woman, letting them go would allow us to get them all and find out what all of this is about. Someone just doesn't handle a flask of diamonds to buy silence unless there is a big secret...” After all that Velma resumes silence waiting for questions from the other two kindred.

[West]

As Velma withdraws the phone, it's screen lights up.

In the background, is a picture. Of her. It's not perfect, but more like a 3-D model. Obviously, the dots have been connected.

RENDER COMPLETE. UPLOAD COMPLETE.

Overlaying that, though, is a text message window.

Chantay Jones involved, two associates. One may be a person of interest. Put Ember on the back burner -- this is the new priority.

There's no identifier on the sender.

On a side note, the render may have missed her mesmerizing eyes, but managed to capture her epic cheekbones.

[Chris Wooding]

The Reeve's office is a nice one, Chris has always thought that. He's glad it stayed the same. Dillon has a good taste, just how the Mekhet likes it. A wooden desk, packed bookcases, weapons lying around. Too bad he doesn't know the story behind it.

Yeah, I can see myself working in here, someday.

Chris sits on one of the sofas, but he keeps his focus on the Harpy. She has a story to share, and something tells the Hierophant he'll really want to hear this one.

He is curious how someone could "notice" a strange cellphone, but he smiles when Velma actually has it with her. He tries to keep up with the story, even though out of nowhere more men have appeared. But then it gets really strange. Chris arches an eyebrow.

'Diamonds?!' That is one way to buy someone off. 'So, just to get this right, there are several people in the VIP area. Someone else comes in, he asks about a special camera, then the first guests start a fight? The big spenders want this one guy alive, you allow them to have him.' There's no judgement in his voice. Just. If that man stays alive, the press could be all over Ember soon. 'He's obviously important then, for some reason.'

'And what about this picture, why is it strange?' He leans forward, maybe two inches. Maybe the Mekhet likes to see the image.