Beneath a Bridge

[Konrad Roth]

Crossing Sacramento's Deep Water Shipping Channel is the Daniel Palamidessi Bridge, a structure finished in 1997 to expand access to West Sacramento's Southport Area and bring new residential and commercial development. Running alongside the river are one of the city's many branches of train tracks, allowing shipping to come directly through the Port of Sacramento.

Beneath the bridge is Konrad, lighting up a cigarette and puffing away idly. He'd scared off the couple of vagrants that had been loitering there to claim the spot for himself. The tracks themselves have been fenced off to keep any such vagabonds from falling drunk on the tracks. Though portions of the chain fence seem bent and warped in some places as well as easy to climb. Several more lines of tracks come parallel past the bridge, some diverting northward, but ultimately creating a railyard sandwiched between the river and a bordering treeline, and beyond it a dense suburb.

Marco and Konrad had agreed to meet and Konrad had chosen the spot given his recent housing troubles. He had wanted to stay close to the Port, hoping to catch sight of the cargo ships that came down the channel. The Savage brings out his phone, checking to see if any new messages came for when his Carthian cohort might arrive.

[Konrad Roth]

Konrad's Beast senses the rival in their approach and his eyes follow, gazing out into the night with only a cinder to light his face in the darkness. Konrad smirks, but there is no mirth in it. He blows out a ring of smoke up towards the cement ceiling above them.

"Yeah, how bout it," echoes Konrad dismally. He pauses, pulling himself up to his feet to stand and regard the handsome Daeva. "How's your wound?" he asks, gesturing idly with the cigarette between his fingers.

[Konrad Roth]

Konrad holds up his hand, ungloved with traces of burnt flesh for an unnatural blackening. It's hard to see in the light, but it may look slightly better than the previous night. "It's a pain. Been wearing gloves to get around, but hurts like a bitch still."

It doesn't take long for Marco to get down to business, bringing up Gerald and matters of the Movement. But then they didn't need much small talk between them.

"You would like that, wouldn't you," remarks Konrad, drawing another puff off the cigarette and letting the smoke out through his nostrils. "Exactly what have you been doing to fulfill that position that I haven't?" he asks, a questionable tone to his voice.

[Konrad Roth]

"Well, unfortunately it doesn't only matter what you think. You should know better than anyone that that position is an elected one. We probably shouldn't have even bothered having a Prefect or Myrmidon at all, given it was just the three of us for a while there. But now that there's an influx you think you can just step into the role? Not how it works. Next time we hold a meeting we'll decide as a Covenant who holds that responsibility." Konrad doesn't seem angry at the power play, though the content of his speech remains accusative.

Velma's words surface in his mind. She had called it alright, maybe even brought it about.

"And what's this about you planning on starting up a caberet? What happened to the freight and shipping business that I proposed? You think that's why I was helping you to get Tenancy?"

[Konrad Roth]

Konrad considers Marco's words, tapping out his cigarette of its ash which sends small cinders trickling to the ground. His mouth twists, scrutinizing the Myrmidon's apparent sincerity.

"Alright then," he says impassively. "As long as we're on the same page here. Maybe we should try to get at least one egg in our basket before trying to a dozen. But yeah, we'll discuss it more at the meeting. So, we got Gabrielle and Diana. She's told me she met with you already. That'll make four. With Star gone too that means one less Invictus. And I don't know about you but I think their Deputy, Yui, has skipped town since she hasn't been around either. So things are looking good for the Movement, despite the Beach fiasco."