Fancy a late night stroll?

[Gerald Baker]

So this is Sacramento... The Sea King isn't entirely certain, but he imagines it must be close. It had been a long trip north and he was anxious to made anchor. The notion of being landlocked plays into his thoughts. Sure, there is the river... but the open seas are a long ways away. Too far for his comfort. To top things off, a lack of familiarity with the area had earned him what he surmised as a total waste of time. A few spots seemed adequate, if not for a lack of coverage from the water side. His pace creeps to a crawl. One of them will have to do. He bites his lip, eyes one the horizon for any indication he is being observed. Minutes pass. No visible traffic on the water. Ultimately, uncertainty gives way to impatience, and he makes for a small pocket in the woods.

Maybe if luck is on his side, he might stumble upon a snack. Conversely, he could just as easily stumble upon another Kindred. A boon and bane wrapped into one; he had fallen under the sway of the Beast before. It simply wouldn't do to make an enemy on his first night. A clearing and an open road aren't far away. The moment of truth. He steels himself for, well, anything. Headlights flit between the gaps in the trees, and Gerald freezes before clearing the canopy. The lights pass. Gerald "Twice-Dead" Baker steps through the clearing.

The road sign reads South River Road. Gerald continues his way north on foot.

[Martha Villiers]

Martha was out and about. Hoping to be useful and out on some unofficial patrol.

Watchful for threats, or the lost.

Gerald may spot her, perched on the side of the road. Sitting, almost like a pixie, upon the guard rail at the side of the freeway.

Tiny Martha is dressed in as if mixing the style of DC's Harley Quinn and a 1950s cheerleader. Her hair is tied into twin bunches... Sporting one of the shortest pleated skirts she'd ever dared to wear... red ankle socks and simple sneakers. Her remaining leg is shown to interesting effect.

Minty toothpaste and scarlet lipstick add to the look.

She has a simple Army surplus magnetic compass on a cord lanyard about her neck; a simple metal cane lays across her lap. Her C-Leg is swinging, and creaking.

Pale and smiling, her spectacles are perched at the end of her nose, Martha is watching the traffic pass by.

[Gerald Baker]

  2 Suxx. Who's that?

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2015-01-27 15:02:43		Gerald Baker rolls 5 to Wits+Composure to notice wee Martha. (10 Again)		5, 8, 6, 9, 7		2 successes

Gerald is surprised to see the lone, petite, pale figure on the guard rail. Sensing no Beast, he wonders if she might just be some eccentric Kine. One who is unfortunate enough to be alone at night. There are chasseurs in the woods tonight, little one. He walks leisurely towards the girl, putting on his best disarming smile and letting the Vitae give his features a healthy glow. It simply would not do to frighten her away.

-1 Vitae for Blush.

Once he draws within comfortable speaking distance, the Sea King waves to her and calls out.

"Good evening, little bird. Do you often spend time watching traffic in the woods?" The man is dressed in a fine white suite, which remains mostly clean despite his recent trek through the woods. Mostly. There may have been a tiny bit of mud around the hem of his pant legs. He holds a fine looking cane which he does not appear to need for walking.

[Cameron]

Julian was out looking for inspiration for eve'. It wasn't writers block, per say, as much as it was writers apathy. He had a thousand ideas, and none of them felt quite right to put to paper. And until he found something with that special sort of feeling, he just couldn't be bothered pushing forward with a new work. Telling that to his editor had resulted in one hell of a screaming match, but that was hardly unusual.

Perhaps that was why he'd left the city center, going a little further abroad than normal. After all, the usual haunts just weren't giving him any new ideas. Walking alone helped the creative juices flow through cold dead veins, but secretly he hoped he'd find someone to talk to. Kine or Kindred, or something else entirely - he didn't care. Or maybe he'd find something along the side of the road, some token or even a discarded can or anything that made thoughts click into gear.

He saw the girl first, and he thought for sure he remembered her as one face in the crowd from the execution. Even discounting the prosthesis, she stood out - the unusual innocence she seemed to convey was a novelty to be sure. It was then he saw the man in white approaching the girl, and he felt his Beast tear at its cage in response. It wanted to exert its dominance, to rip and tear and sunder - to spill his blood across that nice white jacket.

He paused midstep, clenched his jaw, and took a deep and superfluous breath in. Running wild here would have certainly given him something to write about, if he survived - but that if was a bit too uncertain for the taste of the Man.

Releasing his jaw, he let an easy smile creep across his features. He was dressed casually; a black turtleneck with matching slacks under a leather jacket. His beast was masked, but the ever pervading dread seeped out of his soul like a fog, in an uncomfortable contrast with his pleasant smile and tone.

"Good evening, I do hope I am not intruding" he remarked cheerfully as he approached the pair, fully prepared to be told to take a hike.

[Martha Villiers]

Gerald almost startled his little bird to flight!

As he approached, she sensed his presence. Taking her eyes from a Nevada registered RV laden with mountain-bikes Martha blinked. Blinked again and gripped hard at her thigh stump.

Trembling and pale, there was a moment when she was ready to fly into the darkness.

Her C-leg creaked as she gripped hard now at her false knee.

For an insane moment she wanted to throw her leg at him and make her escape.

That moment of craziness passed and she was left, fragile pale and seemingly alone, perched on the guard rail.

"G...g...good evening, sir." she stammered. Wide eyed. Watching Gerald with care.

"Why, yes... I do watch the vehicles, the vessels and the aeroplanes too."

She tried a shy smile and, see his handsome and dashing presence more clearly now, tiny Martha tugged at her skirt in a futile gesture to find an extra inch of cloth to cover her exposed thighs.

Her head spun to meet the words of Julian. Her twin tails wobble and whip around with her sudden action.

She'd heard footsteps, of course, but regretted not focusing on them with more concern; blinded by the strong and dashing stranger in white!

Now, feeling trapped, she gripped harder still at her false knee joint and prepared to vanish.

"G...good evening, sir..." she stammered meekly to Julian now.

Looking between the two rougish gentleman, she mused; they could almost be partners in crime!

"I.. er... that is to say... I am glad to meet you both! My name is Martha and I shall be glad to help you both..." she tried a sweet smile. It was innocent and sincere and her wide eyes spoke of her sudden anxieties. With a simple action, Martha springs from the guardrail and lands with, what she hoped was a graceful motion. It isn't as cool as she'd have hoped and her C-Leg creaks and rattles, but she converts the moment to a theatrical curtsey to them both. Dainty fingers meekly holding the hem of her skirt and revealing a lot more of her athletically toned leg and amputated thigh in the process.

[Gerald Baker]

The little one's timid response confirms it, in his mind. She would make a lovely little snack. All he needed was a moment without any traffic to make his move. But something in her words strikes a chord with him. Did she see my boat from her little perch? The thought makes him anxious. He might not be able to leave her alive after his... fun. His eyes follow her hands as they tug at her skirt, bringing it to his attention that she only has one real leg. This is going to be easy.

Words spoken with a slightly different accent startle Gerald, so intent is he on his would-be-prey. They carry with them the taint of the Beast. His own raises its hackles. This is what he had been afraid of; another predator bringing his own to the surface. This time he is able to force the Beast into submission.

Gerald turns slowly to see a man dressed in black. The smile never falters on his lips, though his eyes carry a hint of warning.

"Of course not, friend. I was just making introductions."

An arrival of yet another threatens to drown the Man under the will of the Beast. He sees in his mind's eye what the Beast would want to do with this one - a bloody spectacle to behold. He lets out something between a low grunt and a snarl before Gerald is once again in control. He blinks once, realizing she had spoken words. Indeed, she had called out the little on by name. Gerald looks back at the little bird. She is not what she seems, then? Clever of her to hide her Beast. He wishes the other two could have done the same. Finding a snack tonight will have to wait.

"On the subject of introductions... my name is Gerald Baker. It was my hope to make contact with some of the natives tonight. Good of you to save me the trouble."

[Cameron]

It was all Julian could do not to leap forward and offer his assistance as Martha springs from the railing, and he gave himself a mental reminder that the woman in front of him was possibly much, much older than he was, and probably capable of showing him his insides if she so chose. It was generally a safe bet - most vampires were older then he. Besides, the Dread left a perpetually unspoken threat resting upon his lips, and making any sudden movements would probably do more than spook his would-be companions.

He met her smile with one of his own, and noted with interest the British accent. It was adorable, and it fit the picture she presented perfectly. Encroaching footsteps dragged his attention away, and he felt the flush of hate and anger anew as the Gangrel approached. He bit it down as best he could, but he knew the clenched jaw gave away the inner desire to kill and main. He shot her a smile, a brief flicker of recognition in his eyes. Did he recognize her face as well? Probably, she seemed to know Martha, but there had been a lot of new faces that night.

"My apologies, I don't like to make a habit of barging into other peoples conversations" he remarked congenially, turning back to Martha "but I was certain I recognised you from Nox, the other evening, so I thought perhaps I should come over and introduce myself." Unpleasant as the business that evening was...

He let his dread gaze fall upon the group more broadly, taking note of the man in white and women in blue and white. It sounded like the man in white was new in town, which was interesting, and he shot the man a sympathetic glance. He'd traveled through many domains, and he knew exactly how anxious one often felt stepping into unexplored territory for the first time.

"Uhh, Julian Durand, it is a pleasure to meet you all" he stated after a moment, with a slight bow of his head, as he realised it was his turn to give an introduction.

[Konrad Roth]

It's a late night that's dark beside the river, a black serpent the weaves besides the road as it snakes in great curves through South Sacramento. Konrad walks a lot, and he enjoys the experience. Walking clears his head. But he's not just there for recreation or some self-appointed patrol work for the Domain. He's got plans for this river and he feels the need to inspect it and familiarize himself with its activities.

He notices the boat's mooring, but doesn't think anything of it, just chalking it up to typical river traffic. But the congregation of Kindred is another matter.

Konrad comes out of the partial moonlit shadows into view on the gravel road's shoulder. He wears his typical long leather jacket over a long sleeved shirt and jeans ending with a pair of brand new sneakers to replace his old worn ones. For the more perceptive, a long bulge runs along the side of his jacket, suggesting something is kept beneath its folds.

Two Beasts cause his blood to boil, the challenge of lesser creatures infringing on his space. He grits his teeth into a murderous smile as he regards them. The other two cloak their taint from him, save for the creeping unease that emanates from the Australian that speaks.

"Yo, Martha. Didn't think you held meetings all the way out here. It's good to see you back in town though. Who're your friends?" Konrad recognizes faces, but knows no names except Julian's that he overhears. He's pretty sure they aren't Court officials, so maybe he can keep his demeanor lax.

[Martha Villiers]

Martha smiled and fidgeted with her skirt for a moment. Smiling to Konrad and Jenny, then Julian and Gerald.

"Good evening, Mr Roth!" she chirped to Kondrad, adding with an enthused, "I'd like to introduce Miss Jenny Hunter, Mr Julian Durand and Mr Gerald Baker! Miss Hunter, gentlemen; Mr Konrad Roth!" she smiled sweetly, hoping to have caught everyone's name with ease. Busy hand gestures serve to underline her introductions;

"It is a fine night to be on patrol!" she chirped. "All the better when we can help and meet the newly arrived!" a happy giggle is offered as she smiles with eagerness to Gerald;

"Mr Baker, you are welcome if you come in peace! We're a small, but busy community!" nodding, she looks to Konrad and Co for agreement.

"Miss Hunter, gentlemen! Perhaps we should move away from the side of the freeway and we can talk in privacy without fear of... traffic!" she offers a happy giggle. Clearly worried about protecting the Masquerade as much as finding somewhere less noisy.

"Mr Baker, I hope you will find us all eager to help you settle and find your way! Feel free to ask questions!" another happy smile is offered and she looks about to find somewhere safer to talk.