Crones and Cigars

[Chris Wooding]

What is a perfect place to meet someone you don't really know, to talk about one of your favorite subjects, in relative privacy? For Chris, that is the Lily. More importantly, that is not Nox. What once was a bank is now an upscale club. Which means that people dress properly, behave decently, only with the prospect of doing indecent things. Be it here or later.

Private booths are a necessity for that. After ordering a brandy, Chris finds his place in one them. The Mekhet is wearing his own fine clothes, rather than a boring suit. Of course, there's a healthy blush on his cheeks.

He is looking forward to meet Julian Durand . The man was ready to offer a helping hand when fighting Nefertiti. That is always appreciated. He knows little more beyond that. The Haunt is Angel Ducard's new best friend, and he is apparently eager to find a Covenant.

Naturally, I can help with that.

[Cameron]

Dull green eyes flickered around the room, taking in the atmosphere and scanning for faces. The Haunt was looking for someone - a Hierophant; a Reeve - a man he'd met only the once before. Julian had opted for smart casual; a deep blue dress shirt - with the sleeves rolled up - was tucked in to a pair of dark slacks. After a little internal debate he'd acquiesced to caution, and allowed the blood to flow to the surface - bringing a measure of life to his pale flesh. It felt like a waste, but this meeting wasn't taking place on a farm, or in a flower shop.

Upon sighting the Reeve, he approached; the usual smile perching lazily on his lips. "Good evening! I appreciate you meeting with me..." a pause broke the cheerful tone, a brief flicker of confusion crossing his features "Umm, sorry, but how would you prefer I address you? You are wearing a few too many hats for me to want to step on your toes." he asked, the smile breaking into a slight grin. It was a probing question - he wasn't sure if the booth was secure enough to speak freely, or whether the Hierophant intended to move to a room. But an answer might also tell him something about the man himself.

-1V for Blush

[Chris Wooding]

Chris' expression visibly brightens when Julian arrives. He had been staring at nothing, lost in thought. His drink remained untouched. 'Good evening sir, please, have a seat.' He says warmly while gesturing to the seat beside him.

As the Haunt moves to sit, Chris will stare at him. It takes only a few innocent seconds, but the Mekhet wants to know what kind of man he has standing in front of him. And if he fails - that says enough.

'Don't worry too much. Outside of formal gatherings you can call me Chris. Especially when I'm here as Hierophant, and not Reeve.' What a relief, for one night. And yes, the booths are quite secure. 'How has the City been treating you so far? I still want to thank you for your support at the farm the other night. I eventually chose not the take any risks, but you did by showing up, an appreciated effort.'

   Beasts Hackles vs. Resolve + BP + Obfuscate

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2015-03-07 07:04:31		Chris rolls 8 to Wits + Emp + Auspex to check BP (10 Again)		2, 2, 1, 5, 8, 1, 7, 10, 4		2 successes

[Cameron]

  1 suxx - Julian is BP 2

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2015-03-07 13:55:51		Julian rolls 6 to Resolve + BP + Obfus (10 Again)		2, 1, 1, 7, 9, 5		1 success

As he takes the offered seat, Julian notices the stare - but if it bothers him, he doesn't let it show. The easy smile lingers, though the Haunt is well aware that his Curse taints and twists the gesture into something decidedly more vicious. "Please, then, call me Julian."

"Quite well, all things considered. It has been an interesting few weeks, to be sure, but I've startled settling in. Not having to worry too much about your next meal is, um, nice. And you are quite welcome - I wasn't exactly expecting Angel to drop me into a warzone, but well, that is the way of things. If you ever need an extra pair of hands, feel free to give me a shout - I make a pretty decent rent-a-crowd" he remarks cheerfully.

"Khan was, well, different... I suppose. Didn't really seem like one of us." Though Julian wasn't really sure what he wanted to say in that regard, you didn't come up against something like that and then just handwave it. He'd never really considered whether other monsters existed, but in all honestly the prospect was more than a little daunting. The alternative; that he simply knew far less than he thought regarding Kindred, wasn't really any more appealing an option. Given the small army she'd turned up with, opting to play the long-game seemed like a wise move, all things considered.

"I was hoping to learn a little more about the Circle in Sacramento - I'm pretty curious as to what beliefs you practice here. To give you the short of it, I was in the Chorus, back in Philadelphia. Things got pretty hairy, I ended up playing nomad for a few years. I've been thinking of getting back into it, now that I've started to settle in." Context was important, but he didn't figure the man-with-many-hats wanted Julian's life story. His face wore an easy-going expression - if Chris wanted more details, the Haunt seemed happy enough to provide them.

[Chris Wooding]

The Nosferatu Curse, naturally, has its effects. Chris knows now that he has a lesser Beast in front of him, but the feeling of dread still makes him uncomfortable. Julian could have risen from torpor not long ago, and thus still form a threat right now. The friendly face could be a distraction.

'Very well, Julian.' Although, giving him the benefit of the doubt, it's probably not an elder that's still looking for a new Covenant to join. Although the Haunt doesn't lack it in confidence. Chris decides to give a tiny bit of information, as a way of thanking the man. 'I may take you up on that offer some time, then, it's not every day that I meet capable Kindred. Nefertiti Khan is indeed not one of us. She's a creature I've certainly never witnessed before, and one of great power. Half spoken in irony, the others present there agreed that for the time being we'd mark her as being a mummy.' With that, the Hierophant rolls his eyes. Yes, he just said that.

When Julian begins to speak of his past, it noticeably piques Chris' interest. A warm smile crosses his face. 'Now, that is wonderful to hear. I must admit that our Circle has always been small, and that the Acolytes part of it literally all have had different backgrounds. Two years back we practiced, one could say, a very liberal way of worship. We were the Woven Circle, where all different beliefs could be blended into one common practice.' From the tone in his voice, Julian could tell that things are different now.

'Some of that philosophy still stands. Recently however I've chosen to take a turn towards the practices of the Second Descent, if you're familiar with them? Skaald Edwin Bridges shared some of their philosophies with me, which encouraged me to introduce them to our Circle as a whole.' The Hierophant stops here, wondering what the man thinks before he explains more.

[Cameron]

The Haunt raised an eyebrow, but the smile lingered "Well that is..." he paused, searching fruitlessly for a word - interesting... terrifying... novel - "...a Mummy, huh?" All he could recall was that there was supposed to be bandages, and awkward shuffling - oh, and pyramids. But he was prepared to accept that maybe The Mummy series wasn't the categorical source of occult information. Maybe.

"I'm not familiar with the Second Descent, at least, not conceptually - we might have followed something similar though?" he answered, uplifting the last few syllables hopefully. "We practised a... what I suppose you could call a fairly robust system of philosophies and beliefs back in Phil - it is probably quite distinct, but I suspect It'll be broadly compatible. In any instance, I welcome the chance to learn something new. If you don't mind me asking, why the change in direction?" He asked pleasantly - the question itself felt like it was worth asking, but it also give Chris a chance to pitch this Second Descent. After all, if the Hierophant had decided to change the direction of the Circle here, he evidently felt this philosophy had some degree of merit.

He could feel thoughts flickering on the edge of his consciousness - recollections of philosophical and religious debate, held in bars and meeting rooms with the strange, predatory woman who would become his Sire. Thoughts that carried a vague sense of nostalgia - they were untainted by the false blood love, or the hate he would later come to feel.

[Chris Wooding]

While seeing Julian's reaction, Chris can only grin. And nod. That's all there is to the matter.

Now that the conversation has started, he leans back in his seat. It may be good that the Haunt is quite neutral in his beliefs, and that he's quite unfamiliar with the Second Descent. That gives the Hierophant a chance to point out the important things.

'Well, the Second Descent offers us more focus. A spiritual framework, so to speak, rather than a specific religious tradition. It still draws from a broad range of cultures and myths, although always centered around concepts of the 'Underworld', or the Dark House. So for example Celtic and Roman deities can still both be worshipped, as I don't feel like forcing anything upon my fellow Acolytes. As long as everyone understands why I make this link to the Underworld.' Every time he explains this, he becomes more convinced. It may be noticeable, since Chris only recently learned about all this.

'Like I have personally always believed, the Second Descent doesn't see our Embrace as a damned state of being. We haven't been punished by one God. No, our eyes have been opened to new world, a world where we are gifted with the Requiem and all that it entails. We've experienced the First Descent of creation, becoming and being human, now we've taken one step further. Our Requiem is the Underworld, where we are constantly challenged. This leads to our idea that Tribulation brings Enlightenment.'

He pauses there, as he realizes it's been a while since he said those words. He has been so busy being Reeve, has he neglected his Faith? It's all a trial.

'A second view I felt connected with, slightly different perhaps, is regarding creation and humanity. I believe that creation still gives us power, however, therefor we need to really create things, rather than grow plants or raise a dog. The Second Descent doesn't value human ties. Not long ago I realized that neither do I. I have no ghoul, and only a few mortal contacts. So I could see the faction work for me personally. Naturally, it's no obligatory thing.'

[Cameron]

"Hmm, that is an interesting way to see it - broadly, I'm inclined to agree. I don't see our state as one of being cursed by the gods. But I suppose the question remains - if this is the underworld, for what purpose are we here? Different religions tend to ascribe different purposes to an afterlife - if we agree it probably isn't as a form of punishment, what purpose gives motion to our Requiems?" The smile had widened, even beneath the dread he exuded it was clear the Haunt was enjoying this. It had been some time since he'd had the chance to debate and discuss anything of import.

"So, what sort of creation does this view suggest as worthwhile, if one ought not focus ones attention on living things? Some might suggest that life is the only thing truly 'created', and that works of art, for instance, are merely examples of change enacted upon the world at large."

He paused for a moment, considering his own experiences with humanity since his Embrace. There was a part of him that was vaguely ashamed of the way he'd clung so fiercely to his past life. In the end, it had only made it all the more painful when it was wrenched from him. "Please correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like the..." he gestured with his hand as he searched for the word "the absence of value ascribed to human ties is so that we do not cling to this First Descent, having entered into the Second. Is it then permissible to value human works? It would strike me as a bit of a shame to distance ones self from the on-going extent of human philosophical developments and insight."

[Chris Wooding]

'Our purpose is then to become Enlightened, so to speak. Our Requiem as the Underworld is only metaphorically, for we are death.' Not dead. 'In their philosophy, there is also a "Third Descent" - a next stage. Whether anyone has ever reached that state is of course open for discussion, and unknown. Now I do not mean to invite everyone to become an occult researcher or anything, you should still pursue personal goals. But learning Cruac is definitely a way of becoming more.' Rather than something different, as is the case with Coils.

When Julian poses his next question, the Hierophant thinks about it for a while. He has no direct answer, for this is where he still seems to differ. Although he is the Hierophant here. 'I would say that the creation we should value is the kind that is unique to us. I believe Dirge studies the creation of mandragora. I once had a homunculus - that was creation. There is much more.' Another pause follows. It's clearly a sensitive topic.

'And of course we should value human works. For all we know, those works can be Kindred works as well. Acolytes are not to be agents of death or anything, it's just that we cannot be part of a simply day to day life, and thus we should not strife to become a part of it. To a certain extent, we can let go of meaningless mundane matters. But philosophy, science and art should still be valued. We can definitely still learn from those things, even better, with our new perspective on the world we can learn more than any human could.' He playfully rubs his chin, 'Although i don't want to make the Circle sound too academic.'

[Cameron]

"I apologise, Hierophant, if my questioning was too forward, or if it overstepped the bounds of what is reasonable - it has been awhile since I've had the chance to discuss philosophy, and I may have gotten ahead of myself" He stated apologetically, a slight bow of his head as he finished. The pregnant pauses had caught his attention, and he hoped he hadn't gone a step too far. It was, after all, a rare man who enjoyed having his beliefs questioned by a stranger.

The Haunt also paused a moment, which turned into two - and then three. Finally, he nodded. The ever present smile lingered on his lips, and his tone was pleasant as he spoke again. "What you have said, what you have described - it feels right... If you would have me, I would be honored to join your Circle." There it was. After many words, a plain and succinct request.

And so he waited - focusing his predatory gaze on the Shadow before him. He waited for rejection, or affirmation. Admonition, or elevation. Feelings had brought him back to the Crone - not logic or reason.