Some Sacramento Shadows

[Chris Wooding]

It is strange how you can live in a city for so long - where many Kindred come and go all the time - and you don't have the time to really get to know some clan mates that have actually been there with you, for several years.

It's time to change that.

That is why Chris has invited Daniella Sage , apparently now Priscus of the family, though to none's surprise. She has always been a respected member of the Domain. And a good way to secure your ties to the Invictus, one could think, no? And yeah, she looks good too. Besides, 'Chris the returned' still needs to say hi.

Then Max Heinz . There is a lot of mutual respect, Chris thinks - and hopes. Put them against each other in a Regency debate and not a bad word will be said. The Dragon has often been looking out for Chris, and the young Mekhet has always appreciated the way Max does things. Like finishing bloodhunts with a nightstick, of all the weapons you can choose.

Oh the memories.

He shivers, putting the thoughts of pain and fear away. He leans back in one of the comfortable sofas of the underground level of Nox. There Chris waits, dressed somewhere between formal and casual, as he often does.

[Daniella Sage]

Daniella was excited about the invitation she had received from Chris. She regretted they never really got to know each other, and then he left, and then she left. But now, both had returned, time to get to know your Family.

So into Nox she goes, heading to the underground section. And as she got to the bottom of the stairs, she remembered why her Family was so awesome, no Beast to get hers going! Her dress for the evening was a new one. White with black lace around the midsection. Her long hair was down, and there was little to no makeup on her face.

She spots Chris and makes her way over. As she gets closer, a wide smile appears on her lips,

“Mr Wooding!” she exclaimed, “Welcome back to Sacramento! It is wonderful to have you back.” She says with sincerity.

[Max Heinz]

Max was the last of the trio to arrive. It was still odd to him to think of the Avalon's new name. To him, "the Nox" sounded more like an industrial waste site, or one of those horrible grunge rock clubs that was so popular with the collage kids in the 90's. At least the downstairs hadn't changed much during his time away; and the thin Mekhet knew the steps to get from the front door to the stairway by heart. He could do it in the dark; but then, that wasn't really a concern for the Shadows, was it?

Wooding didn't know it, but he had actually done Max a favor setting up the meeting. He had hoped to speak with the newest Mekhet Priscus as soon as possible; no small feat given the schedule she must have been keeping these nights...

As he took the last few steps and made the turn into Court, he spotted his two fellow Clanmates already in attendance. While they might have been dressed for a night on the town, the Dragon looked like he had just climbed out of bed. With his hair as unkempt as ever, a scraggly beard, jeans, sneakers, and a white hoodie, he cut a rather unimpressive figure.

Still, there was a hint of a smile on Max's lips as he made his way over to Chris and Daniella. "Ahh, good to see you again, Hierophant Wooding. I'm glad to see you've returned to the city." He offered his hand out to the other man; a bit of odd familiarity from Max.

He then turned his attention to Daniella. "And good evening and congratulations to you, Priscus Sage. I see the time that has passed since our last conversation has done little to diminish your beauty."

Individual introductions out of the way, Max turned back so that his attention was split equally between the two other Kindred. "I hope you're both doing well? It has been a while since I've seen either of you."

[Chris Wooding]

As soon as Daniella arrives, Chris rises from the sofa to make a polite bow. 'Priscus Sage,' only as he looks at her he smiles widely. 'Thank you, it is good to be back. I must say, you look absolutely stunning.' It just has to be said.

Then Max arrives, he looks more relaxed than ever. It makes you wonder where he's been in his time gone. Some ultimate Dragon resort where you can bath in the sun without any chance of harm. That would be a nice change of scenery.

'Likewise, Mr Heinz.' Just mister, yes? That sounds strange. He accepts the hand for a firm handshake.

'I'm doing quite well. I hope the same can be said for you? It's been too long though. I almost started to miss all the typical city business.' It's true. Better think about silly politics and Court than wondering if you'll find shelter for the night. He gestures towards the sofas, 'Please, take a seat.'

Like I'm the Keeper now, what a joke.

[Daniella Sage]

To Daniellas surprise, Max came walking over to them. And what a pleasant surprise it was!

“Good evening to you as well Mr Heinz! And thank you.” Says Daniella, a wide smile on her face.

“Doing well, thank you for asking. I must say, it is an absolute joy and pleasure to have you both back within the Domain!”

She nods as Chris gestured to the seats, and sits down.

“I must honestly say that both of your presence has been greatly missed.”

[Max Heinz]

Max returns the handshake, quirking an amused eyebrow at Chris's words. "And what typical business would that be? The backstabbing, the gossip mongering, or the occasional threats to life and limb?" The only clue he wasn't serious was the hint of a smile that perked up one corner of his mouth.

Once Daniella set down, Max follows suit; easing into one of the unoccupied sofas. The Mekhet might be able to conceal their Beasts from one another; but that didn't mean setting in close proximity was an especially enjoyable experience either...

He nods his head slowly as the Priscus speaks, glad to hear that things had been going well for her. "Ehhh, I'm alright. Got back into town a few weeks ago and still have all the parts I left the city with, so I can't complain.

It is good to see you two are both still here though. With the population of the city being as transient as it is, I wondered if there would be anyone I knew left when I came back..."

[Chris Wooding]

Chris chuckles, replying to Max with a casual shrug, 'Ah you know, there's no place like home. Happy family get-together's and all that.'

Like nothing bad ever happens. Well...

'That's not so hard, I must have lost the same hand at least twice in the city.' He holds up his right hand as he says that. Even so, he has little reason to complain.

'I feel the same about that,' he says with a nod to the Dragon, then he turns to Daniella, 'and I'm especially glad about the fact that someone I know holds the position of Priscus. How have things been, any notable new arrivals? I won't be surprised if I just missed a meeting.'

[Daniella Sage]

She laughs lightly as Max mentioned backstabbing and gossiping as typical business. As much as she hated to admit, he had it just about right. Though gossip had never really been her thing.

“I just got back into town myself a couple months ago, and was pleasantly surprised to see many familiar faces. Seems there are quite a few Kindred who have decided to make Sacramento their long term home.”

She turns to Chris as he address her.

“Things have been quite well I must say. And I am sorry to admit, but you just missed the Family meeting last month, which is when I became Priscus.” She ponders his next question. “Unfortunately there have been some faces that have come and gone. Madame Rina Yui is a quite one, but what Shadow isn’t?” she asks with a soft laugh, “But I think she might go far within the Domain.” She replied. "Though with the return of two of the most well respected Family members returning, we just might have to have another meeting soon."

“But tell me, did either of you do or see anything exciting when you were away from the Domain?”

[Max Heinz]

"Well, at least you didn't lose anything important..." Max quips as Chris held up his hand.

He then turned his attention to Daniella as she spoke. It seemed she too had left the city, but that she had also been back longer than either himself or Wooding. He was interested to hear of anything she knew of that he might have missed. However, it seems like only one new face had joined the ranks of the Mekhet while he was gone, so it didn't sound like he had missed much.

When she starts talking about calling another Clan meeting, can only give a slight shrug. "I wouldn't want to trouble you with the burden. Not to diminish your position, Priscus; but I've always felt that our Family had the least use for Clan get-togethers. The Deava are naturally social creatures, the Ventrue like to come together to compare achievements, the Gangrel have a natural pack mentality, and even the Nosferatu share a common bond of social difficulties. Of all the Clans, our's seems the one most inclined to solitude; I could scarcely imagine a Mekhet pool party or the like.

Though, if you're so inclined, I'm sure you could think of something entertaining..." Max finishes off with a quick wink to the woman; his observations meant as nothing more than that, and not a critique of her guidance.

When she asks what the other two Shadows had been up to, Max can only spread his hands. "Ahh, well, just the usual. Getting myself into and out of trouble. What about you, Hierophant? What did you get up to in the wild and wide?"

[Chris Wooding]

Chris thinks a moment about what Max says about their clan meetings. Maybe he's right. Except for the Daeva, it sounds a bit condescending to the other clans. Or maybe that's just how Chris interprets it? Ah well. 'I can imagine a good game of "hide and seek", as a social activity?' He chuckles, but perhaps the Priscus should think of something entertaining, yes.

The 'madame' part says a lot why Daniella would think Rina Yui is important. There must have been more Shadows that joined the Domain during their time gone.

'Last month? Too bad. Was a there Whip appointed that we should know about?' He asks, curious.

When Max passes the question on to him, he begins with: 'Well,' pondering on how much he would share, 'I visited an old friend. I owe her much so I'd like to stay in touch, meet her every now and then. Aside from that, I spent some time alone in nature. We acolytes like to challenge ourselves sometimes.' It's actually nothing to keep secret. He's the Hierophant, and a proud one.