The Cop Shop

[Victoria Stamford]

As Robert approached the address, he saw a large walled off estate with the yard lite up by floodlights. When his vehicle approaches the gate a guard stops him to verify his identity and he is then waved though the iron gate with a large CO on it. As he progresses further onto the grounds, he finds a large towering Victorian Mansion with decorative trim and columns, several balconies, and a wrap around porch.

When he stops and exits his vehicle he finds an attractive young serving woman in a short dress waiting at the front step to escort her. She seemed to notice Robert's presence, however, her eyes were vacant and unfocused as the servant stared ahead. She didn't speak and there was an expressionless look on her face. When Robert approaches, the servant will bow and then wordlessly turn to escort him into the house.

The large solid wood doors open up to a moderate sized entry room with a wooden staircase leading up and several rooms branching off. The haunt is led to a sitting room with a large doorway and an open sliding door off to one side. Victoria sat in a delicate looking padded chair wearing a small and light polka-dot print dress. Upon seeing her guest she will stand with a welcoming smile and gesture to an antique love seat which sat on the other side of a short coffee table from her. Should he notice it, on an end table to the right of Victoria's chair discretely rests a sizable dagger, it is likely a precaution. Not that she expected trouble, but it never hurt to be prepared for it.

"Good evening, it is Deep Sheriff Cross, correct?" Victoria asked verifying his preferred form of address. "Thank you for coming. I hope that all is well this evening?"

[Robert Cross]

Cross opens the door of his Town Car and steps out, straightening the jacket of his understated black suit. His gun and knife are left locked in the glove box of the vehicle with the assumption that such a manor is as secure a site as one might find in Sacramento. Of course, Lady Stamford herself could be considered a threat, but Cross doubts that his weapons would make much of a difference if she should decide to dispose of him.

All that is offered the servant by way of greeting is an indifferent nod. Perhaps there is a touch of contempt in his flat, blue eyes. Or suspicion. Either way, she doesn't seem to notice. He, in turn, seems to ignore her, save for following as she escorts him into Lady Stamford's home. Instead, his eyes rove about their environment as they pass through several rooms. The opulence, and the sheer size, of this house makes the Haunt uncomfortable. He is a monster more suited to alleyways or sewers, to dive bars and drainage spill-ways. Beneath his discomfort lingers a thought, on the edge of judgement: Is all of this evidence of denial or celebration? Is the Lady Stamford running away from her undead state or exalting it? Questions for another time.

As he is led into the room, Cross pauses for a moment, a small grimace twisting his scarred features. The fiery rage of his beast flares across his body, and it is all he can do not to flee. But tonight is important. Tonight is about duty. And he will not run. Instead, he bows deeply at her greeting, taking a moment to compose himself before straightening again.

"Lady Reeve Stamford. Good evening." He approaches, but will not sit until she makes it clear that he should. His eyes find the dagger, but return to her immediately. He does not seem surprised. "Sheriff Cross or Mr. Cross is fine." He knows that these Invictus would prefer to avoid first names, which works for him. "I am doing very well, thank you. And you?" All in all, he is a polite monster, even if his voice is gruff and his skin is a map of pain. Even if the smell of burning flesh and hair slowly begins to permeate her finely appointed sitting room.

[Victoria Stamford]

When Cross entered, she didn't feel the tell tale sign of another predator with a bared beast. She did feel uneasy with the obvious traces of fire, the bane of all strains of kindred. The wasp flittered about in unease, demanding that the reminder be expunged from her presence.

"Sheriff Cross then," Victoria said with a nod and sat down. She crossed her legs and then gestured again to the seat across from her. "Please have a seat. What kind of host would I be it it was said that I made you stand the entire conversation?"

"Wonderful, I am glad to hear that you are doing well. Things are going well enough for me. Thank you for asking. However, so much to do to and so little time to be about it, but I suppose that is true for all of us." She paused and thought for a brief moment and then smiled. "Speaking of busy though, it seems that I'm not the only one busily scurrying about. The cities Nosferatu have been quite busy accomplishing many things, you should be quite proud of what you've all accomplished together. That little shindig last month went rather well all things considered. A shame about Sterling interrupting things though. How goes your job in the Deep Kingdom? If you don't mind me asking. With so much going on I do not want to overlook anything of importance that might be connected to anything else going on."

[Robert Cross]

At her request that he sit, Cross gives her a smile, stretching the scarred skin around his mouth. The grin does not quite reach his eyes. “Thank you,” he says as he settles himself onto the love seat indicated. He sits, perched on the edge of the seat, his back straight and his knees wide, hands resting upon them. Even at rest, the Burned Man seems to stand at attention. “You wouldn’t be the first to keep me standing throughout a meeting,” he adds. A bit of a joke, but also a fact. He’s letting her know where he’s from and that he knows her gesture actually means something, beyond mere politeness. It says something about her management style, her idea of what it means to be a commanding officer.

Cross nods in agreement at her lament concerning time. “Eternity isn’t enough,” he adds. “But we do what we can.” What we must. He attends closely to her words, her compliments concerning his Family. There must be a balanced response here, too little pride and he would seem flippant about their accomplishments. Too much pride would be worse. She is, after all, a Lord, and any insinuation that his Family is somehow superior could be disastrous.

“Thank you, Lady Reeve. We have worked hard at a project that Seneschal Gilroy was wise enough to outline. I find it necessary, not only for my Family, but for the domain at large. The Prince’s authority holds and extends above and below the streets.”

At her mention of the recent court, Cross has to keep himself from frowning. The result is a rather blank expression. The event had gone off without bloodshed and with minimal embarrassment. But the incident with Sterling was regrettable, and the memory of the Prince’s eyes bearing down on him…

“Yes, Sterling was…unfortunate.” Cross now allows himself a small expression of displeasure, the corners of his mouth turning down. “But it could have been worse,” he says with a shrug. And if it had been, I would’ve put her down right there. “And now we have a new Reeve, which is good news for the domain at large.” He offers the compliment with a nod of respect.

“As for my duties in the underground, things are going smoothly,” thus far at least. “I keep myself busy with construction projects and plans for training the family to repel or neutralize any threats to the regency and the Domain. I expect things will pick up now that Seneschal Gilroy has officially opened the Deep Kingdom to anyone in the domain who wishes to reside there.” Cross is still apprehensive about this last development, though his neutral tone does little to betray that fact.

[Victoria Stamford]

Victoria smiled at his quip regarding standing. It was funny how often we all used humor to cover up hidden pain or unpleasant memories, the ventrue could remember doing to more times that she could count. However, she was polite enough not to mention or acknowledge that she recognized it.

"Yes, Seneschal Gilroy seems to be a rather interesting individual. Rather well organized from what I see, which is a pleasant surprise." Victoria said pleasantly.

"Oh indeed, could have been far worse," Victoria said in agreement. One of the scarier open secrets of her clan was that Ventrue were closer to madness than the others. She doesn't know if she will fare any better given the stresses of the job.

"It is certainly an interesting opportunity for for the domain. I always thought that a Necropolis had great potential for the domain at large and was considering investing myself."

She listened and thought about the man's words, tapping her fingers lightly in thought. Several of his word choices stuck out at her and she mulled them over wondering just how intentional they had been. Were they slip ups or intentional?

"Regent Gilroy rules at his majesty's pleasure, and as Reeve I am responsible to ensure that his majesties laws are enforced regardless of where in the domain they are broken. As long as things run smoothly and shit does not spill over into my arena I do not intend to look too closely there. You seem a rather capable sort after all. That is unless I am forced to do so by circumstances bringing it to my direct and official attention." Victoria said conversationally as her fingers stopped moving. Her face was still pleasant and smiling. "Which brings me to a topic I wanted to discuss. Right now your authority ends at the borders of the Necropolis. I wanted to extend an offer of a working relationship. I would like you to consider becoming a Deputy of the domain. It would expand your influence and give you official sanction to pursue clean up in the domain at large legally. It would also include expanded hunting rights as well. I do not plan to infringe on your ability to perform your other duties."

[Robert Cross]

Cross listens in the posture of a man who is used to taking orders. Someone who knows how to pay attention without seeming either bored or slavish. Who knows how to wait and absorb. Or at least look like he's absorbing.

"Back when I was on the force, all we ever seemed to talk about was chain of command. And for good reason. Chain of command both maps and maintains the structure of responsibility and authority. It tells an individual, and those around him, what he is supposed to do and who he is supposed to answer to. And it structures and directs communication and action in an organization." He pauses, looking thoughtful, or as thoughtful as his horribly scarred features will allow.

"I don't mean to give you a lesson, Lady Reeve. I'm sure you're aware of all of this." A slight nod of his head to signal his respect. "It's just that I want you to know that I understand what you're saying. I serve at the pleasure of Regent Gilroy, who is Regent, and Seneschal, only at the pleasure of His Highness. You serve at the pleasure of the Prince directly and are responsible for all matters of domain safety. In the end, I am assigned to the regency on a special basis, but your authority supersedes me there. I am at your service in any regard, above or below ground." He pauses for a moment, seeming to catch his breath, or to mimic such a gesture (consciously or unconsciously). "As I see it, you are free to intervene in the affairs of the Underground at your discretion and I am obliged to follow any orders or changes in protocol you advise." Everything is said in a tone that indicates he treats these statements as fact.

"Now, I hope you trust me enough, or come to trust me enough, such that you will seek my advice in such decisions. But that is not required of you. Another beauty of the chain of command: those upstream are free to listen to or ignore the duly lodged comments of those downstream." No matter how annoying the little fish can find it.

As he's been speaking, Cross has kept his eyes on the Reeve. His gaze is not challenging, but is nonetheless direct. He is a serious man and he wants her to know that he takes their positions and their relationship seriously. "Which brings me to your offer: I would be honored to accept the position of deputy. Sacramento has become more of a home to me than Los Angeles ever was and the chance to serve it accordingly is something I won't refuse." With that he falls silent, waiting for the Reeve to guide their conversation as she sees fit.

[Victoria Stamford]

Victoria considered the man's words carefully. She wasn't entirely sure if he was just telling her what she wanted to hear or if he honestly meant it. She thought there might be a little of both because it could have have been easy being passed up as a choice for Reeve only to get a consolation prize. She didn't seem to take offense at his remarks about authority and chain of command.

"Excellent, it is good that we understand one another. I hoped that we would be able to work closely together in this. After all, there are far too many threats for us to worry about ruffled feathers on either side." Victoria said as she visibly relaxed a little and seemed to take a more casual demeanor.

"Now, I expect more formality while in public, but in private with just other deputies we can be a little more open and relaxed. It sounds like you have some excellent an background in investigations and troubleshooting. I plan to rely heavily on this, I think that much of your own duties to the Necropolis security will find themselves lining up with domain concerns. As far as investigations I plan to form up a team of two people and then take a third deputy with me. This way we can investigate issues two at a time and have back up. If a full assault is needed after a enemy base of operations is discovered we can converge as an assault team and hit them fast and hard. A team of two should be able to handle smaller scale skirmishes." Victoria looked toward the burned haunt with a questioning glance.

"What do you think Deputy Cross? Feel free to be honest and blunt with your feedback and suggestions."

The Reeve looked genuinely interested in the haunt's feedback.

[Robert Cross]

Cross had spent enough time as a cop to know that, whether a subordinate believes what they say or not, performance is all that really matters. Belief is not required to perform one's duty and to perform it adequately. It doesn't make a difference that he doesn't fully trust the Reeve. Nor does it matter that he has his suspicions about her relationship to Gilroy and, for that matter, his new Priscus. In the end, he plans to do his job, and to do it well. If not for the Reeve, then for the good of the domain and, of course, his own benefit. In this sense, the Reeve is right in her evaluation, though she couldn't know it: Cross believes strongly in the doctrine represented by Chain of Command. He just doesn't believe in her quite so fervently. Though Cross doesn't miss her comment about ruffled feathers, and takes it to mean that she's aware of the strangeness of Gilroy's appointment.

"Agreed, there is more than enough trouble to go around," he says nodding. "And speaking of formality, Lady Reeve, I have a point of concern on that front: it has recently come to my attention that the Prince does not approve of the particular title of Sheriff that Regent Gilroy assigned to me. Would you have any advice on another?” She is Invictus after all, and he assumes she is familiar with such concerns. With that question, he falls silent, listening closely to her plans, his mind ticking away in that pragmatic mode that he is most accustomed to. Such strategic concerns are his wheelhouse after all.

Once she invites his comments, he answers her honestly, openly, and at length. "I think the strategy you've mapped out is a sound one. Multiple teams working in tandem on multiple targets would allow us to cover more ground and respond more quickly to threats, permitting coverage and mobility. It would also keep the adversary from knowing the full extent of our forces. Even if they identified the initial team assigned to them, this could be changed, keeping them in the dark.” He stops, a scarred hand rubbing his equally scarred chin. “If you don't mind me asking, who else do you plan to deputize? And do you envision the team that does not contain you as operating semi-autonomously, or would you prefer keeping strict control of decision making and action in the field?” Her answers would determine how the whole scheme would unfold.

“In any case, the tricky part seems to be threat assessment. At the moment, I count two, possibly three, major threats to the Domain. There is the Brood, whose numbers and resources are unclear. However, they are clearly possessed of a level of fanaticism and dedication that is dangerous, as we both saw at the Circle gathering.” He frowns at the memory. Even the most meager force, when equipped with such twisted Faith, could prove quite potent. “Next, there is Task Force: Valkyrie. Their number is also unclear. But they seem to have rather wide institutional leeway, and I would imagine the financial depth to match. My connections at the Sacramento Police Department speak about them as if they are government-affiliated, but that’s not clear and they may just be playing the Spook-card to push the locals around.” His frown deepens as he considers the possibilities. He hasn’t heard much about the Task Force since that fateful night with Konrad, but he can’t imagine they would simply walk away. Not with all the leads they’d amassed in the city. “Finally, I’ve heard chatter from those same sources at the SPD about a group of vigilantes striking throughout the city lately. I’ve also been hearing about them from my connections in less than savory lines of work, probably because this group seems to be focusing on that sector of the economy. Now this wouldn’t bother me too much, but some of my guys in the underworld have mentioned this group asking about vampires…” He’s not sure if the Reeve has already heard about this, but there’s no harm in full disclosure.

“If this final group is of concern for you, it may prove advantageous to reconsider your allocation of forces to cover all three threats. Or we could prioritize two and then move against the third as the situation permits.” His eyes say it all: You give the order, I’ll follow your lead.

[Victoria Stamford]

"An excellent point," Victoria said considering his question about titles. As long as she has been affiliated with this city she had never heard the title Sheriff before and the man's statement illustrated the likely reason for that.

"I would recommend the title Hound. We can not have people calling two individuals Reeve...that is too confusing. You can play with it a bit if you want to throw in something signifying the Necropolis. I would avoid something like Under Hound or any take on that...too much like Under Dog," Victoria said with a playful smile.

"I've tapped Whip Antinori of clan Gangrel so far. You are the second one I have approached. I have yet to make a decision on the third," she said with a conversationally. "The other team will likely be operating with some degree of autonomy out of necessity. I will expect reports on progress and while I may have to give direction on occasion in the form of goals, actual implementation will likely be up to the team involved. This would allow for creativity and for the team to play to their strengths."

"I agree," Victoria said with a nod. "With only two teams we will need to exercise threat prioritization. I can not deputize the whole city, but I might be able to press-gang assistance on some issues. I think the brood are a problem, but so far they have only ever attacked Circle targets and not the domain at large. They are a secretive bunch and would recruit kindred which limits their recruitment pool. I'll see if we can get someone to locate a base of operations to target with an assault force or we may have to back-burner them. These threats to The First Tradition worry me more. This vigilante group worries me greatly. They can grow like wildfire, especially when dealing the mentally unstable individuals and if you can give people an outlet for their fear and powerlessness that is a dangerous mix. Years back the city's homeless gathered into an army of vampire hunters because they were left alone. They organized the entire homeless population and were a deadly threat that knew our weaknesses. My people in the medical field have told me they heard the only survivor, the fifth victim, mention they are looking for a specific person named Maze. Unfortunately that person died in surgery so the witness is a dead end quite literally." Victoria sighed slightly with regret.

"This Valkyrie group may require a major force to uproot in the area. We will have to see how large a presence they have and how connected they are. They sound major from what you said about pushing the police around. If we need to, I can look into press-ganging all the martially minded in the city into service as an assault team. Hopefully they are just a small recon or covert type group for now though and that will not be necessary."

[Robert Cross]

Cross is surprised at the number of things he and the Reeve agree on. From the question of his title to matters of strategy for domain defense. The Burned Man gives her an appraising look, ignoring the fiery protestations of his beast as he does so. Perhaps there's more good sense than sucking up to Gilroy's choice. "I was thinking the same thing, Lady Reeve. Hound seems like the obvious choice." At her 'under-dog' joke he offers her a wry smile. "Hound of the Deep Kingdom will do, I think. I'll speak to the Regent about the matter. Thank you for the advice."

Whip Antinori? It takes him a moment. The savage. Brittany's friend. He'd met her at court a while back. Brittany had mentioned training with Ale, Cross recalls. And she seemed formidable enough when he'd made her acquaintance. And beautiful too, like the Reeve for that matter. Not for the first time, Cross wonders how a well-done piece of meat like himself could end up in the same room as Lady Stamford or Alessandra Antinori. Lucky me, he thinks.

"Whip Antinori seems like a strong choice. If you are looking for recommendations concerning the third, I would consider Garrick Marlon, of my own family. He's skilled with a gun and has a workman's attitude. Or there's always Katya Harding. She's fierce, knows the domain, and has a score to settle with the Brood, which would prove useful if and when we move against them." He pauses and then adds: "Just one man's opinion, of course," with a slight, deferential bow of his head.

"And when it comes to the Brood, I think you're correct in your assessment. They seem focused on the Circle and therefore do not present a threat to the domain as a whole, at least for the moment, placing them lower on the list of priorities. A scouting team may be just the thing: let others gauge their strength and operational capacities while we focus on more pressing matters. When the moment is right, we can remove them from the field. And, if new information comes to light, we can always reassess."

Cross frowns, considering the name mentioned by the fifth victim of the Punishers: "Maze? Never heard of them. But if that's the name of a Kindred, it could prove to be a useful lead." After all, it's easier to track a Stiff than a breather, if only because there are far fewer Stiffs. "I can say this, my sources on both sides of the law have mentioned a storage unit, somewhere on the east side of town. Seems it may contain a cache of weapons. Another place to start. I'll keep working my contacts, see if anything new comes to light on that end." Though there are a lot of storage units in the city, so they would need more than just that to conduct a fruitful search.

"And as far as the 'Task Force' goes, I'm still hesitant when it comes to their affiliation. It's easy to bully the cops if you know how to do it. They have an in-built hatred of the Feds. If you show up, look the part, act the part, and say the right things, they'll be blinded by their distaste." Cross knows, he's still got a bit of that feeling himself. "Either way, they're well-funded and well-equipped. I came across their name doing some research on an incident at Raging Wire for Priscus Roth. When we met to discuss the matter, we discovered one of them trying to plant a tracking device on his vehicle. In making his escape, the suspect dropped a small, incendiary device. Caught the Priscus off-guard. No lasting damage, but it wasn't pretty." He pauses, re-living the aftermath in his head. Konrad's frenzy, their struggle. He doesn't mention that part to the Reeve. "So, they're capable of both advanced surveillance and deadly force, even against us. When we move against them, we need to be smart, prepared, and merciless, or we could lose some of our own."