The Seediest of Clubs

**Konrad Roth** · Aug 24th, 2015 05:39 PM

In the less reputable parts of town in the basement of a store front with bars on the windows is what the rejects of the city consider a night club. Only a neon sign above the metal door and the few youths loitering outside give any indication of its purpose or patronage. Cement stairs lead down a booze soaked landing. A thick muscular bouncer eyes any who approach him for signs of police affiliation, ready to signal his employer for a possible raid. They've had to move the location often enough in the past to avoid such attention but they've dumbed it down to a science.

The interior is unremarkable, a dimly red-lit hall filled with smoke from any number of sources, least of all tobacco. Its occupants are red-eyed, probably drugged up after meeting with their dealer in what passes for a bathroom in this establishment. Aside from that though, the furnishings are plentiful with tables, chairs, a makeshift bar, a jukebox, and even a pool table, albeit one with ripped fabric that has been stitched back together by hand.

Konrad sits at a table, sunglasses covering his gaze with his feet propped up on the table in front of him. He is blushed with imitation life and clad in street clothes that give him the appearance of a typical dealer. And that's just what he does here in the belly of the underworld. But perhaps some other predators within the Domain have happened upon one of his many places of business.

-1 Vitae for Blush of Life

Aug 24th, 2015 06:23 PM

Marco spent much of his time in the finer parts of Sacramento. That's where a con-man finds the true money, in those that believe they are above petty scams and smart enough to avoid what is obvious to the criminal element. He was dressed in a simple black suit with white shirt and black tie. He just could help it, he wouldn't be himself without a good suit. Heading down, past the bouncer, and into the belly of the club he took in the surroundings, hoping to find one of the few sober kine to get a quick snack. Out of nowhere he noticed that sitting at a table with his feet up is Konrad. He looks to the side and thinks, I should have known he'd be here. His beast riled up and begged him to follow the tradition of the club and what it represents but he kept it in check. Today would not be the day they fight.

Deciding if they're both here he might as well stop over to say hello. Following his instincts he neared the table and gave a brief smile. Smiles didn't last here, because this was the place that happiness went to die.

"Konrad, how's it going."

**Konrad Roth** · Aug 24th, 2015 06:37 PM

Konrad's brow furrows at the shifting of his Beast, sensing the approach of another predator within the squalid surroundings. The creature is more than familiar as he had only just seen the handsome chameleon the other night. Despite his overdressed attire, the Daeva seems to carry himself in such a way that he doesn't seem overtly out of place.

The street-savvy Savage raises a finger to his brow and dips the sunglasses down to better see the Succubi. "Marco? What're you doing here? I didn't expect to see you this side of the train tracks." Rather than stand, Konrad simply lowers his feet off the table, sitting slouched against his chair.

Aug 24th, 2015 06:44 PM

Standing in front of the now cleared table he said, "Well I was looking for a good place to eat and I'm a fan of hole in the wall joints," he said with a sly smirk. He always enjoyed the cryptic speak of their kind. "What about you? Usual place or came on a whim?"

He knew that Konrad was more in-tune with the criminal world of Sacramento so seeing him here really shouldn't have come as a surprise.

**Konrad Roth** · Aug 24th, 2015 06:51 PM

"Well if you're here for the food, you'll probably be playing russian roulette for what you get. Never know if one of the dishes is spiked, if you catch my drift. Me? Yeah, I've been here before a couple times. Some of my clientele prefer it."

He pauses, looking Marco up and down. "You sure you're not here looking for me? Something happen since the other night I should know about? You looking for some kind of merchandise? Don't feed me that hole in the wall crap," says the Savage more sternly. It seems all too unlikely that he'd run into Marco down in these dumps. Or maybe the self-professed con man was trying to muscle in on his sphere of contacts.

Aug 24th, 2015 06:58 PM

"Whoa whoa, calm yourself. We might both have less than reputable jobs but I normally focus on finding certain types of marks and," he looked around at the place, "these are not normally the kind of marks I look for, not enough money," he said with a wink.

"To be honest sometimes risky is what makes it fun but it's certainly something to worry about too. And no, nothing's happened since we last spoke. I sincerely wasn't here for you, just a change of scenery, and this is definitely a change of scenery for me."

**Konrad Roth** · Aug 24th, 2015 08:24 PM

That wink irritates Konrad. He doesn't like being toyed with on what aught to be his turf. He considers reaching across the table and digging a chipped glass ashtray into the man's eye and give him a permanent wink. It's right there, all he has to do is reach for it. This ain't Elysium and he doubted anyone here would care if a fight broke out so long as they don't start a fire or something. Some of them might be too drugged out to even notice. But word would get around. He probably couldn't kill Marco outright and that'd sour his relationship with the Movement. Like it or not he is stuck with them. That's just the hand that was dealt to him.

"Hey, reputation is everything around here. But I get your meaning," he replies, keeping it cool on the surface. "However, I'm not here to have fun. I'm here for opportunities. This is the marketplace of the downtrodden and desperate, and I've got enough rep to do business. There's plenty of other opportunities in the world above, so I'll just offer a polite warning in case you are thinking of expanding your operations into my means of livelihood. After all, you know you can always come to me if you needed something of a sensitive nature."

He spoke, of course, of the black market, a system of commerce that had no one location or representative. It was the word on the street that brought customers to dealers like Konrad. Any other broker meant competition.

Aug 24th, 2015 09:26 PM

Marco smiled politely as he responded. "And good luck with that man. From what you've said you've made quite the name for yourself down here, but don't worry I have no plans on interfering. I sincerely just came in because I was on this side of town and was looking for a potential meal. I've told you I want to work together, so it wouldn't make sense for me butt in. I'm working on so many other connections, and I know you've got this covered, so I haven't thought much about it. When I start my business I definitely plan on coming to you for any of my sensitive business needs, because I know you're the go-to-guy."

1 success

**Konrad Roth** · Aug 24th, 2015 09:49 PM

Inside Konrad's gaze is the familiar seething Beast, a thing contained in the guise of a man. Marco's observations recognize this, reminding him of what his Beast already knows, that Konrad Roth is a creature capable of violence and hate.

But despite that fact, Konrad stays composed, putting on a front, the same as any Kindred in his position. "Alright. Yeah, you get the picture. Sorry to come down on you. So, like, what's been happening in your neck of the woods? Did I tell you I spoke with Diana? She seems like a fun lady. Bit of a smooth operator. But I suppose that sort of thing runs in the family, eh?"

Konrad knows that Marco had already spoken with the woman. And a topic change seems appropriate to avoid any awkward silences.

Aug 25th, 2015 07:53 AM

The statement 'sorry to come down on you' stirred the beast. How dare Konrad think he could tell Marco where he could operate. Just because Marco was not currently interested in the criminal underworld, didn't mean he'd leave it alone forever. Marco desired all the connections, eventually. His dark passenger begged him to fight, begged him to teach the man a lesson in respect but again Marco forced it down with a smile. He would not allow this man to overcome him, cause him to falter. Instead he focused on the shift in conversation.

"Nothing much really, I assume you saw the flyer? Luckily we shouldn't have anything like Miss Star's outburst at this meeting. And no you didn't, but I suspected she would contact you. I told her you were a good man to get in touch with. She is quite the intriguing beauty and very interested in our cause, though I'd rather see what other skills she has. We both know smooth operation only goes so far," he said, smiling. While it may seem that the two only have the Movement and a criminal background in common, there is one other thing: a fondness for talking, especially to the ladies.

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2015-08-24 21:09:52		Marco rolls 4 to Detect the Hate (Wit+Emp) (10 Again)		4, 8, 1, 6		1 success