Acknowledgement at the Crossroads

[Kenneth Gilroy]

Kenneth waited on a street corner in one of the dingier parts of town. Several of the street lights had gone out and had yet to be repaired. Aside from the occasional sounds of raised voices from the buildings, the street was basically abandoned. Only the occasional car drove through the stop sign without stopping. Even wearing a suit and holding a professional looking binder, he probably would have been mistaken for homeless drifter that had managed to score a suit off someone's corpse. At least they would have if anyone were noticing him. Gilroy had drawn the Cloak around himself upon arriving. For the time being he remained unnoticeable and at less risk of being mugged. Once he confirmed this new cousin was who he said he was, he would drop the Discipline and introduce himself. The Necropolis was not far to walk and they could talk more privately there. Kenneth just hoped when Cross had said he would meet at the intersection he hadn't misunderstood and gone into the sewers. Although he would hope that if Robert's appearance broke the Masquerade it would be something he would imply in his texts.

  Cloak of Night 3 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2016-03-01 01:10:13		Kenneth Gilroy rolls 10 to Int+Stealth+Obfuscate+by self (10 Again)		6, 6, 2, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 6, 9		3 successes

[Robert Cross]

Cross parks his car a block or so away from the meeting point. Always best to hide assets from the family after all, at least at first. He gets out, quickly removing his piece from its holster under his black suit jacket and sliding it beneath the driver's sear. No need to offend anyone, and it probably wouldn't do him any good anyhow. He locks the vehicle up tight and proceeds from there on foot.

As he walks, the few kine that pass him on the street try not to stare at the guy with the scars. It's always the same: they want to look but won't let themselves. It's fine by Cross, he's used to it and it keeps the herd off balance (not exactly frightened; he's not one of those haunts, lucky for him). And though he doesn't give any sign that he notices their "courtesy," he's on high alert. You never know what to expect when it comes to other fang fucks, even and especially his cousins.

He arrives at the intersection about a minute ahead of schedule and stations himself as discreetly as possible on the sidewalk, waiting in the deepest patch of shadow, out of anybody's way (though the street is now all but deserted). Of course, he fails to notice Kenneth's cloaked form, but he's also used to the haunt proclivity for hiding.

Time to test the waters, give a sign to whoever might be watching. He snorts an obviously forced laugh, then says sarcastically and as if to himself: "Family."

[Kenneth Gilroy]

Kenneth watched the man approach. While the Kine did their best to look away and ignore Cross, Kenneth was currently not any social obligation to do so. It could just be a normal, if extensive, burn victim. Gilroy sensed no Beast to clash with out of instinct for dominance or fear. The worm approached when Cross entered the shadowy area, squinting to see better in the gloom. It would certainly be a very big coincidence to have someone so disfigured arrive just now and start waiting but it was the whiff of freshly burned flesh and condescending use of 'family' that clinched the test. This was very likely Robert Cross. Kenneth didn't entirely like the tone the man had taken when talking to himself. However, Gilroy probably would have taken the same tone when talking about Tabitha while alone. It did mean the man would have to be watched.

Kenneth turned and walked away for good thirty seconds. Then he turned around again, dropped the Cloak, and walked back into view. His soft skittering footsteps approached the shadowed cousin. Gilroy was hunched over like an injured wolfing, his posture cautious.

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Cross?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

[Robert Cross]

Cross watches Gilroy approach, he'd gotten a bead on him quickly given the lack of people on the street, though he hadn't seen him appear. He finds it difficult to tell if his "family" gambit had worked: is Gilroy simply arriving in his time, or had he been there, watching, until the moment came to engineer this contact? Cross would probably never know. He's found it's best not to dwell on such mysteries.

His expression remains flat, unchanging as he studies Gilroy despite the deep feeling of disgust that twists in his gut. This unflappable calm is something Cross strives to cultivate, even if he is not always successful, and especially when dealing with members of his family. His fellow haunts can inspire all kinds of discomfort and he isn't going to underestimate, or insult, this creature just because of some feeling. Notably, his beast remains passive, unmoved by the other monster's presence: So we can both play the game that way, he thinks, taking some comfort in the matter.

Finally he gives a tight-lipped smile, which manages only to make him look slightly less unfriendly.

"Yes, I'm Cross," he says, extending a hand. "And that would make you Mr. Gilroy? Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice. Always good to put a face to the name."

[Kenneth Gilroy]

“Doctor Gilroy, yes; Bishop or Father if you’re more religiously inclined.” Though with Gilroy’s luck he doubted that would be the case. “And it’s always a pleasure to welcome a new arrival to the Domain.” The tone was so ingratiating as to be aggravating.

“I’ve brought some orientation material,” he said extending his pale spider claw hand with the folder “Please review it while we walk it, and let me know if you have any questions.” Kenneth waited for Cross to take the papers that detailed the Laws of the Domain and Elysium before skittering off, clearly expecting the new Haunt to follow.

"What brings you Sacramento?" he asked. The truly serious questions would have to wait till they reached the Necropolis.

[Robert Cross]

"Dr. Gilroy, then," Cross responds, leaving it at that. Religion is not one of his preferred topics, though he does file away the information: here is a Worm of the Lance.

If Gilroy's tone bothers Cross it doesn't show, in fact he seems genuinely pleased by the organizational acumen evidenced by the file full of papers. Being a practicing pragmatist, Cross prefers order to disorder, though he is aware that both have their purposes. "Thank you, Doctor," he says as he takes the file, leafing through it as he follows the Priscus.

He looks up from the papers at Gilroy's question: "Things were getting too hot in LA," he replies with a wry twist of the lips. "And I'd heard Sacramento has a lot to offer." In the back of his mind, Cross feels a twinge of uncertainty at letting this haunt lead him into the unknown, but pushes it down. After all, he's already come this far, nothing to it but to follow the line he's on.

"How's life in the city for people like us?" He asks with a slight, sarcastic inflection on the word 'people.' Obviously between the two of them, there are no 'people' in attendance tonight.

[Kenneth Gilroy]

So not one of the Sanctified. That was a shame but par for the course. The fact that the domain was receiving another run away seemed to setting a pattern as well. Only this time it was from as close as LA. Troubling.

“Is there any chance of that warmer weather following you here? Sacramento does indeed have much to offer but preparation would need to be made to protect against any heat. You didn't eat anyone's soul did you?” Kenneth’s neck cracked as he turned it like a snake looking at the scarred man. While the question was asked with a weak delivery, Kenneth's eyes were searching as if ready to strike. A Beast ready to fight if it found itself in a corner.

“Be careful with that sarcasm Mr. Cross, especially at any meetings you might attend. It could be perceived as insulting.” Probably not enough to get him ashed but smoothing ruffled feather would cost social capital.

“Sacramento is fairly high paced,” he continued with too much pause to indicate that he had taken any offense “It acts as a hub for a great many travelers. Never the less, thanks to consistent leadership it remains fairly stable over all. Opportunity for advancement is present even for those just arriving, especially if you were to decide to settle here.” Half the time the advancement was against their will in fact.

Gilroy walked for a ways in silence to allow Robert to go over the laws more thoroughly before asking another question. Plus he didn't want to conduct too much of this interview using talk around.

If Robert lies about commiting the amaranth please roll subterfuge against Kenneth's empathy roll

  1 success

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2016-03-01 12:12:55		Kenneth Gilroy rolls 5 to Wits+Empathy (10 Again)		10, 3, 6, 4, 1, 3		1 success

[Robert Cross]

Cross stops for a long moment, looking hard at the shifty haunt who continues to walk in front of him, the file still open in his hands. The look is not threatening, nor is it threatened. It is a measured, and measuring, stare. This one needs watching, Cross thinks, and proper handling.

"Doctor, trust me when I say that the LA heat stays in LA. It was harder on my employer than it was on me. I simply moved on when he succumbed to exhaustion," he calls after Gilroy, waiting another beat before continuing to follow his host. A couple of long strides and he is back in step with him.

"And let me assure you, I have had nothing to do with anyone's soul." Cross is emphatic, and dead serious, he has never committed amaranth and has nothing to hide in this regard. As for the comment concerning his sarcasm, he lets it slide. The new kid in town has no right to mouth off after all, even if a half-joking comment about their 'personhood' seems mundane beside talk of 'soul eating'. If that's what they call insulting in these parts, then you'd better watch your ass Cross, at least for the time being, he thinks.

"I like fast-paced, things get boring with so much time on your hands." He cuts his eyes at the Worm, considering him again, "And the hope is to settle here. I am not keen on travel, and I'd like to get back to work."

He glances back down at the open file in his hands. "These documents are very helpful, Doctor. Can I assume we're heading to a place where they can be discussed in depth?"

[Kenneth Gilroy]

Kenneth paused a few paces after Cross halted and looked back to meet Robert's eyes. The man truly was horrid to look at when you got down to it but Kenneth held the stare with an blinking eyes. IT was also just as measuring. Did Cross feel insulted at the implications? Or did it have to do with the fact that his relationship with his Sire seemed quite formal? Gilroy wasn't sure but he did know that the man's tutor in unlife had been lost. This really was becoming a pattern. Alice and Robert seemed to have a great deal in common. Although, the burnt corpse seemed much more self assured than the doll with her fake smiles. So it did seem some lessons had been passed on.

As Cross catches up and Kenneth starts walking again, the worm seems satisfied with the answers Robert is giving. The viper's head bobs up and down at least.

"We are indeed heading to a place where we can talk. The Family and I have been working on setting up a place where we can meet and be comfortable."

Which turned out to be closer than Cross might have thought because Kenneth made an abrupt right, turning up the small walkway of a dilapidated house with no windows. He worked the door knob fervently for a few seconds before it opened and he ushered Robert inside, closing it quickly behind him. Then it was down some stairs into an unfinished basement of concrete. In the center of the room, lit by the light coming down the stairwell, were the moldering corpses of tiny animals.

Kenneth walked by the grisly rotting scene to a metal door hidden in the shadowy recesses. His fingers twitched as he worked to unlock a padlock that held the door shut.

"This is the entrance to the Necropolis," Kenneth explained. There was a subtle shift in his tone. It sounded like a spider leading a fly into its web.

[Robert Cross]

Cross notes Gilroy's seeming satisfaction with his answers, though he's sure that the subject of his past is far from settled. He closes the file in his hands for now and follows Gilroy to the front door of the building. Charming, he thinks, always so much charm when it comes to us worms.

Despite these thoughts, and no matter how hard it would be for him to admit, Cross is also clearly and sincerely interested in the topic of family, especially since the untimely demise of his sire left him largely alone in his Requiem. "About how many family members do we have in Sacramento, Doctor?"

As they enter and move through the building, Cross feels more and more comfortable. Maybe it's habit: he's spent most of his life and unlife opening doors such as the one they had just passed through, heading down stairs into just this kind of basement, coming upon gruesome scenes like this one, often worse.

Or maybe it is, in fact, in the blood. The company of other Nosferatu, in dank, dark, decrepit places soothes Cross for reasons he does not quite understand. Our places, he thinks. Sick Vic, his sire, had always insisted that the Nosferatu shared a special connection that the other clans lacked and it's at moments like this one that Cross almost has to admit that the old man wasn't completely full of shit. Even Gilroy's change of tone is strangely calming to Cross, who is visibly relaxing the further they move from the surface of the city.

"Fantastic," he says as the entrance to the Necropolis is revealed. "Lead on, Doctor," in a tone that has become almost friendly.