Golden

[Bea]

There were a lot of people that thought they knew about crime. Maybe they watched highly paid actors wave fake badges across a screen, or read about the travails of hard bitten PIs in mass market paperbacks, or worst of all, feasted on the mind numbing plague that was evening news. Which made it all the more hilarious to Bea how few people actually understood what sorts of crime was happening all around them. And they should know. One of the largest arteries that flowed into and out of Sacramento, I5, was one of the richest stretches of human trafficking in the entire continent. Not to mention guns and drugs, though even those paled in comparison to the flow of chattle that was swept up and down the West Coast.

Kindred on the other side of the country were probably blushing in furious envy at the thought...

Though, come to that, there was plenty of chattle just milling around Sacramento without even tapping into that bellicose, corrupting vein. Hell, Bea was staring at about fifteen thousand pairs of glassy eyes and bared throats now. Yeah, the Golden 1 Center was prime hunting grounds. Events almost every day, drawing people of every description to it like a horde of stags running towards a forest of salt licks. Then throw in every possible combination of alcohol and sugar and you got the largest selection of vintage that Bea could think of. Maybe not top shelf, but close enough for her tastes. Maybe in a decade or two and she'd have more of an appreciation of quality over quantity...

For now, though, she was content just to watch the crowd as it slowly funneled out of the stadium. Content to watch and savor, basking in the anticipation of a feast that was only a thin layer of flesh away...

[Alessandra]

The nights were getting longer, which was a bonus. But with that came a chill in the air, which was not that much fun. It meant having to wear long sleeves to blend in with the Kine that could feel the cold. Well, she could, if she blushed, she just didn’t like it.

Tonight was no different. She needed to get out, and decided to head to an area she wasn’t completely familiar with. Her Herd had talked about the stadium numerous times, so tonight seemed like the night to head there, see what all the fuss was about.

Dressed in mostly black, tank top and jeans, she headed out. An orange shirt was pulled over the tank, and was sheer enough to display the numerous tattoos covering her arms. Thigh high boots covered her feet and red lipstick was the only makeup she wore. Her long hair up in a messy bun, showing the tattoos that covered her neck and the side of her face. In her purse was not only her brass knuckles, but her guns as well. Having secured papers to carrying them legally, she wasn’t leaving them behind. Before exiting her car, she willed the blood into her dead body. Her heart slowly began it's beating, her skin flushed with a healthy glow.

The crowd of Kine that greeted her was a little surprising, guess her Herd had been right. This was a busy and happening place.

But the smile that had started to appear stopped, as her Beast felt the presence of another. A weak one, and her eyes zero in on the woman. She was vaguely familiar, hadn’t she been at Court? But she wasn’t sure, and one just doesn’t simply ignore a new Beast.

Time to be friendly and all that good stuff thinks Ale as the smile reappears. Walking over, she pauses at a respectful distance, but close enough to talk.

“Beautiful evening tonight.” Greets the Italian.

-1 Vitae to Blush and look alive!

[Vampire ST]

Don't forget to use Power Icons for Blush You can just add them to the next posts.

[Bea]

Bea stiffened at the sound of Alessandra's voice, her posture snapping straight as her senses were suddenly stretched taught, fear clawing itself into her brain as she felt the hunger radiating off of the interloper standing behind her. She'd been lazy, lulled into a sense of complacency in this sea of walking food, and that was why the sudden appearance of another predatory startled her as badly as it did. One minute she'd been pondering going after a group that had clearly smuggled edibles into the stadium, and another had just had too much to drink, and then, suddenly, the fetid breath of a slavering carnivore was wafting over her neck.

Seconds vanished while the panicked shrieking eventually evolved into bitter swearing, and she had to fight down the more human instinct to draw the Ruger that was hidden beneath her habitual, dark suit. It was a human instinct, but still a panicked one, and Bea took a moment to draw a breath in through her nose; an equally human calming technique, but that was why it worked so well. Mostly because it took time to perform, and time always lent clarity. Clarity like: if she had to shoot some asshole with their head full of fangs, the Ruger was the last thing she wanted to use...

But times were tough. She'd make due if she had to.

If...

"Reminds me of the harvest," Bea replied, slowly turning to face what was, apparently, her company for the evening.

Tattoos...interesting. That probably meant she was younger, though the Blood in the other woman felt...a little aged. Which wasn't a comforting sign. That meant a tough requiem. That meant a lot of blood had stained the tattooed woman's fangs.

"Were you in time to catch the show?" Bea asked casually, deciding she might as well establish an alibi if it came down to it.

Equipment in minisheet, just in case.

[Twist]

Twist let be pulled with the crowd exiting the Golden 1 Center. Contrary to what some might believe, she did not turn her nose at the city's other theatrical venues. And yes, she patroned some of them. If not to keep tabs on her competition, then also to seek inspiration. Ventures such as the BDN did not require the utter elimination of places such as Golden 1. They could coexist if sense and reason was allowed to direct things. Much like the world of Kindred.

And speaking of Kindred...

As the crowd had spread out upon exiting the funneling doors she had slowed to take in the evening air. In doing so, across the way she spotted a familiar figure with a less familiar figure. While she didn't necessarily want to interrupt, the last two months had been quiet as far as social niceties and so she wandered toward Alessandra .

As she approached she was ready for the press of Ale's beast and it was a good thing that she was already reining her own in as the second woman only added to the agitation.

She made no effort to conceal the sound of her heels approaching, and when she was within greeting distance she called out in a warm tone, "Ciao Alessandra,".

[Alessandra]

As the woman turned around, Ale felt the anger rise in her Beast. This one was weak, and it wanted to paint the crowds faces red with its frail blood. But the Savage only smiles, her wicked thoughts pushed aside and her Beasts leash tightened. The unimpressed presence she gave off brought a grin to Ale’s face, was it just for show, or was she really just unimpressed?

“The harvest?” asks the Savage, not familiar with the phrase. If it was a phrase, or what it might have meant.

There was a shake of her head, “No, my friends let me know about the show too late. Thought I might try and catch up with them,” she then makes a point of scanning the crowd, “But I haven’t seen em yet.” she could blend in too.

She then shrugs, “Anyways, haven’t seen you around before, I’m Alessandra.” Around meaning Court, and with this many Kine, one had to watch their words.

But then a familiar, and welcome voice pulled her attention from the new Kindred.

A wide warm smile spread across her lips as she looks upon the delicate, yet seductive Daeva. Her bows slightly,

Ciao! How wonderful to see you!” and it was true, she had wondered where her fellow Italian had been.

[Bea]

"With so many peoole in this city looking as striking as you do, it's no surprise you didn't notice me," Bea replied with the ghost of a smile hovering upon her lips.

With a deliberately casual lethargy, Bea's left hand disappeared into the front pocket of her jacket and produced two signature squares of white card stock with a bold B on one side, and a Los Angeles phone number on the other.

"You know, Bea continued, extending the cards to both Kindred, "I've heard it said that the best acquaintances begin with the breaking of bread. Obviously, considering who we are, it would be a sort of reverse transubstantiated bread, but it sounds like a nice gesture, no?"

[Twist]

Twist smiled easily, "As it is to see you," and deciding to indulge in more than just her native language, she leaned forward to exchange a cheek-kiss greeting.

If Alessandra accepted/exchanged the traditional greeting, wonderful. If not, she would simply shift the forward momentum into a closer look at the unknown.

Twist laughs as she accepts the card, *B?*. "Is that so? I always found the best are started with a kiss," and judging from the tone of her voice, and maybe the quick wink, it was clear she did not mean the type of kiss just offered Alessandra.

*Reverse transubstantiated bread...?* As usual, Twist decided to ignore the words she didn't understand. Instead, she glanced at the second card offered to Alessandra, surmising that this meant that Alessandra also did not yet know this Kindred.

"Well- I don't know about bread, but how about a drink? Will that still count as a nice gesture?"

[Alessandra]

A compliment, a good way to start of a get to know you. “Ah, now don’t cut yourself short. I’m just recently stepping out more.” She had a rough couple weeks, but her head was back in the game so to speak.

Now, when one carries two of her own guns, and with her history with the Mafia, seeing someone reach into their jacket, one can’t help but go on edge. After all, it was an action similar to that that brought her down. Her muscles tense, her mind already formulating how to block Twist should this new face indeed have a gun and decided to get stupid. There was a visible relax to her body as the hand comes out with business cards. A smile appears as she accepts the offered card.

Turning it over in her hand, "So, should I just refer to you as simply, B?" she asks curious.

The cheek-kiss greeting surprised Ale, but she quickly returned the gesture, having not received it in many years. And one does not simply not accept such a gesture from Twist.

“Both ideas sound wonderful to me, get us to some place quiet with less prying ears and eyes, a little more intimate. Did you have some place in mind?” she asks Twist, feel pretty confident that the Daeva wouldn’t favor the dives Ale usually found herself in.

[Bea]

"Yes, call me Bea," the young Daeva replied. "Though I don't know why you'd want to go anywhere else when we have so many options here. Unless, of course, you're offering a more private stock?"

Which, would be a most tempting offer indeed. Almost tempting enough to follow two kindred that obvious knew each other somewhere way from prying eyes...

Almost, but not nearly enough for Bea's well fed sense of self preservation. She was new in town, after all, and what better prey could there be?