(1611) Jesse and Alice

[Alice Hart]

Alice gives, Jesse a laugh, "A shame indeed."

"I used to be one of those kindred." Alice answers, "This is the longest I've stayed in any one place since my Embrace." the Haunt admits. "It's a little surreal to think about." though still not as surreal as dancing with the Prince.

Jesse gives the women a more fulfilling answer then the one she'd given - aiming more for more conversation then simply sending the unknown women off, but it did prove (at least to her) that he's make a better Priscus then Maddox.

"You're welcome," Alice says back to the newcomer, nodding her head as the card was placed in her hand. "And to you as well."

As the steps fade off and the women's voice calls out to Lady Stamdord Alice lets her fingers trail over the surface of the card. The indents of letter and numbers letting their story.

"Any guesses on Clan?" Alice asks Jesse, knowing that the women; Bea was now of the focus of the evening's gossip.

[Hugh Everwood]

"No problem," he said easily towards Bea, taking the card when it was offered to him. Looking at it, he hmm'ed and pocketed it as the newcomer made his way over to the Lady Seneschal. "Gave us her phone number, she did."

His attention shifted back to Alice, now that they were alone to speak again without no interruption — understandable as it was.

"And is a shame, real shame," Jesse laughed good-naturedly. Funny thought, even if he had a twin, didn't mean the schmuck would have gone and been turned into a Kindred like him.

Jesse leaned against the wall casually, looking around the place again. "Been that Kindred myself a few times, some cities don't work none for you and others make you feel at home." Made leaving them again hurtful, but Jesse made the experience that sometimes it was better to let go and return another time. Literally. Give it a few decades and a city could be all shiny and new again. Made visiting them worth again.

Alice's question made Jesse give a one-shouldered shrug, though his reply came without much need to think about. "Can only be Daeva or Ventrue," he said, adding his explanation for that, "going for the Lady Seneschal only leaves these option. Got all other Priscus around."

By looks, he would think more Ventrue than Daeva — but then, no one would look at him and think Mekhet.

Most often, only the Haunts got something telling about them to go by looks. Or other senses.

[Alice Hart]

"Ahh..." Fingers tracing letter and numbers still, "I was wondering." Normally she'd ask Robert to program it into her phone. Now...well it really did seem like she needed a ghoul.

Alice simply nodded, a light smile on her lips, though twisted, and as mocking as always at the comment.

"I think...each of us has been that Kindred a few times. Our nights our interesting things, and one can't always anticipate everything that they can hold."

"I'd already ruled out Nosferatu. I can always tell. Even without sight." Alice nods, "Well, times have been good to the Lords lately. When I arrived there was only the Alder Prince himself. And now it seems with the Royal Archon busy with other things Clan Daeva could use another body."

Feeling the card once more with her fingers, "I'm assuming venture."

[Hugh Everwood]

Being blind was nothing Jesse would want to suffer until Final Death did claim him. No doubt he'd adapt — always been a survivor — but it would take away so many options to keep himself entertained.

Only useful thing he could think of on a fly about it was that Kine would lower their guard. It made them uncomfortable, the knowledge it might happen to them too.

Pity didn't make for a good addition to the taste of blood.

Jesse looked into William's direction, though still came to nod at her words. "Unless you’re a recent one," he said when he looked back at Alice, "something for them to look forwards to." Keeping up with one's Kine life, it was tempting when you got something to lose. Nothing really kept Jesse from trying that. Left his ma and grandma to live out their lives without him leeching off or having to visit the preacher and hear about all the sins.

Sinning was half the fun.

When Bea came up again, he cast a look towards her and the group she found herself in. "By looks, say she'd be a Ventrue. Plot twist says she's a Daeva," he chuckled, then remembered the greasy and sweaty guy when Alice spoke of her own clan. "Think there's one of yours here. Not sure he's going to hang around much, kind of looks to be staring into space."

[Alice Hart]

"True enough," Alice nods. It's a jerking strings pulled motion, not admitting to her own relative youth, and how she'd been running a few scant months after her Embrace. "And Sacramento seems to be the Domain to do it in." Considering how many Kindred had come and gone in the year she'd been here.

Alice joins in, though her laugh is a hollow thing, twisted in falsehoods and mockery.

"Ah." Alice nods. "If he wishes to stay, and gain his Acknowledgement, I'm sure Lady Stamford, or someone else has already given him my name and where I am. It's not like I'm hiding. Or hard to spot." Alice says, lips upturned. "But he might be one of those who've found that Sacramento is not to their tastes. it happens from time to time." all too often it seems that they attracted someone who'd rather stop over in Sacramento on their way to somewhere else.

"You're Unaligned right?" Alice asks, wanting to continue their conversation, if the Haunt that caught Jesse's attention did design to get to her attention and to seek his Acknowledgement. "Have none of the Covenants captured your attention?" there were other questions to be asked, but Alice settled for that one.

[Hugh Everwood]

Alice's laugh didn't sound very believable. Haunting came to mind, fit her appearance, it did. Jesse didn't mind none, he was cheerful enough for the both of them.

"Sacramento looks like a keeper so far," Jesse agreed easily, actually finding the low populace of Kindred a nice change of pace. Less worry to run into any predator to ruin a good night of fun and hunt.

A chuckle left him. "True that, saw him speak to the Lady Stamford, so he should know who he got to speak to." But it wouldn't surprise him none if he would make a run for it, instead. Good thing vampires didn't smell nothing least they did so consciously, no doubt the fella smelled something fierce the way he was sweating. "Night will tell what he'll do soon enough, can't be hanging around talking to no one forever."

Could do it, but it would look mighty suspicious.

"Didn't join no Covenant ever, no." Flirted with the idea once or twice, but looked more trouble than it was worth it. "Been a few times I did go and consider, but their selling pitch didn't work out none in the end." Might be willing to give them a try some time, but he'd gone so long without any Covenant that he saw no real reason to actively go and seek any membership.

Jesse saw Kindred as solitary creatures — they could get along for a time, but in the end the Beast didn't trust no one stronger or weaker than itself.

Clicking his tongue thoughtfully, he figured it only fair to ask a question of his own. "What Covenant has captured you, Miss Hart?" His experience was that only those in a Covenant cared about talking about their special clubs.

[Alice Hart]

"With how many have Kindred have moved on in recent nights, I'm very pleased to hear that." Whether Jesse Jones had what it took to survive in Sacramento, time would tell.

Knowing that her probable cousin had spoken to Lady Stamford and still hadn't sought her out spoke against him. Before Jesse approached her she hadn't been speaking to anyone, and even the newest arrival - Bea approached her without caring that she'd been interrupting. "Every so often we see a few kindred who find their way to the Nox only to leave just as quickly..." perhaps it was best that those that come and go, do so with the haste of Skiron's mistrals. Surely there were other Plans for them.

Alice was fascinated by the way Jesse spoke, the rhythms, his cadence...interesting. Different then those normally found within the Domain.

Nodding, "Wise, not to join because you've bought their sale's pitch, only to find disappointment when it fails to meet your expectations. As you've probably hear I've only recently joined a Covenant." Assuming the lone, blind haunt was hot gossip in the Domain. With Doctor Matheson and the lady priest - Myriam realizing her allegiances, quite quickly she was assuming so. But at Jesse's question, she wondered if that was true. Or if he wasn't as well connected as they, or if he was simply being polite.

"Myself?" Alice teases, trying to listen to a queue that would reveal his knowledge, or true lack there of. "I am an Acolyte of the Circle of the Crone. " Alice simply states. "Sadly the only one within the city at this time."

[Hugh Everwood]

"Damn pleased myself. Would hate to have go organize a move to quick again." Unless finding yourself run out of town, it was an annoying and tedious thing to move things to a new place if you did want to take some things along. Jesse wasn't one to hoard items a lot, he had left things just behind often enough not caring about them none either.

Jesse made an agreeing noise, glancing in the guy's direction again — then shrugged to himself and decided to ignore him. Would be hard to do if he came over to speak to Alice, but he was doubting it. "Might find a better city for themselves somewhere." And good riddance, Jesse added in his head. Didn't much care for people who showed up to an event and didn't stick around none later.

"Yourself." He confirmed with an amused tone in his voice, which could be interpreted however Alice wanted.

Jesse didn't really know, since Covenants wasn't something he much cared about, he didn't go about finding out who was in which club. Hearing her reply, he nodded a few times and figured — yeah, he could see it.

"The Circle of Crone, knew a guy who would have had something to say about you all." Preacher guy who liked telling people'd go to Hell. Witches they'd be to him, Jesse could easily see him be a Lancea fella if he'd been embraced. Wasn't as far as he knew, didn't care any either.

Lonesomeness was probably something that bothered some people, it did Jesse as well. Otherwise he'd be hanging out in his place and not leave all night to hunt some other place. "Small community don't do well for company in no Covenant. Never know, new arrivals might be joining you at in the future." There was a pause as he shrugged, habit to be talking to people who could see him do these things. "Mind telling me what drew you to join?" Don't need to, don't mean to pry none. Just being curious, is all.

Which was true enough: it kept their conversation going and, yeah, he did like to know what people actually see in Covenants. Might just be to not be alone, find people to fit in right away. Not in Alice's case, seeing as she's a new recruit-witch.

[Alice Hart]

"Good then!" Alice nods, her twisted mockery of a smile stretching across her face.

Jesse's noise of agreement, meets one of Alice's own. "Sacramento isn't for everyone." Alice says, and unless this possible Cousin came to her, Alice would dismiss him from her mind. There was already too much that the Blind Doll needed to keep track of.

"Ha. I'm sure there has been many who've had a thing or two to say of me fellow Acolytes." Alice wonders if Gilroy would have been one of them.

The Haunt nods, "True enough. There's always Kindred that come and go, maybe some of my fellow will appear when they are most needed." Even though Alice thought that now, when she was the lone Acolyte, the Crone Farm was still a charred husk, the perpetrators still at large. She needed to see to Robert's notes, and that cell...shaking her head she refocuses on Jesse, "When I arrived I was Unaligned, and my Priscus at the time was of the Lancea Sanctum. I thought it would be...prudent to attend a lecture when I was invited." Alice begins, wondering if she should just leave it there. Making the Shadow wonder what could have been told in those lectures to awaken her faith and turn her to the Crone. "When the Summer Solstice came, I was invited to attend. I was interested and didn't want to be rude..." Alice frowns, the searing scent of the fire and the frenzy that followed...burned into her mind. Nearly the last thing she ever saw... "The stars just aligned." waking to her eyes naught to ash, her shaking faith holding desperately onto the belief that she'd lost her eyes for a reason. Every lifeline but Robert seemingly gone overnight...

"And I knew my place." Alice smiles, her fingers twining together as she banishes those thoughts and memories.

[Hugh Everwood]

"Pretty likely," Jesse replied with a grin, "people got opinions about everyone, ain't just a thing among the Kine." Kindred might be a little more careful to cause social plunder. Not all of them, otherwise they wouldn't be having no fun all around. Wasn't a better thing for entertainment than watching drama from afar.

The Mekhet listened intently as Alice spoke, tilting his head to the side as he regarded her face as she did. She already revealed she was new to Covenant before, part of why it was interesting to hear about her experience. Even if she wasn't so detailed about it. Leave some mystery to it all, smart. Something to speak about another time. Not everyone was the extremely talkative type like he might be an example of. On good days, that was.

"Hell of a lecture, that must have been." Jesse commented when she was done. Lecture from some Lancea Haunt bringing her to join the Circle of Crone, made one wonder what was being said — though he didn't think it could have meant to actually lead her to the 'pagans'. Easy to guess that was what the Lancea Sanctum might call the Crones. "Makes it sound like you found what you didn't know to be missing — or it found you. Stars aligning and all." There was a hint of humor in his voice, but no true malice as he didn't begrudge no one about their choices.

Jesse was the last to judge.

"See, never had this type of feeling when people try and sell me on a Covenant. Revelation. Feeling like it was right some way." He shifted, stopping to lean against the wall and gave a shrug. "Maybe Sacramento's going to give me one of those, but think I'll stick to none for now." Covenant that was. "So, Summer Solstice's something you go and celebrate, doing the same for the Winter Solstice?"

Might be more a pagan thing. How he knew of it? Surely didn't hear no lecture, but he'd been around long enough to hear people talk and memorize things like that.