Nor Hand Nor Foot

[Asa]

Asa descended the stairs into the depths of Avalon.

Although many nights had passed since he had last done so, the journey was nearly muscle memory and he could have ventured through it with his eyes closed. The return of Ishani and his own return to the Ordo Dracul had offered welcome distractions to the Elysium. A dark suit covered a white dress shirt with purple pinstripes as fine as a spider's silk, complementing the purple tie and pocket square.

Eventually his footfalls stopped in front of the Seneschal's office, and he knocked.

[Alice Hart]

The knock is answered promptly by a slim living women. Who's blue-green eyes pass Asa from head to toe, before they widen as the identity of the man on the other side of the doorway registers to the well briefed ghoul. With a slight waver to her golden voice she announces his presence to her-her

the Seneschal.

The Blind Doll's head had been tilted downward as her fingers danced over thick, quality paper of a recent letter, as she sat at her fabulously carved dark wood desk. At her right hand a wine glass, half full of the precious and intoxicating liquid, straight from the vein.

At Lyssa's announcement Alice stands, showing her plum blouse and her black pencil skirt, doing her best to curtsy from behind her desk as the Prince enters, "Your Grace?"

Alice had to wonder if this was about the rather rude Bea, and the letter she'd apparently written, or about the torpor'd neonate and the Invictus Daeva that was apparently moving here to pay off several boons.

[Asa]

"Good evening."

For a few silent moments, Asa studied the new woman. Recent arrivals rarely had the Blood to spare to remain Blushed without cause, which meant she was either a ghoul, knew the Daeva's trick that Allison Black had freely used, or... or had cause to Blush. The thought amused him, but not nearly as much as the most obvious: that the woman was a ghoul. That in itself was hardly amusing -- but that her most prominent feature were the ones that Alice Hart lacked.

Intentional?

"Good evening, Seneschal. That's a lovely desk. Are you free to talk?"

Asa cast his eyes about the room after speaking. A ghoul. A desk. A small smile played at his lips. Alice Hart was settling in.

[Alice Hart]

Once Asa steps through the entry Lyssa will close the door behind him with a soft click. Before returning to her out of the way place on the overstuffed couch to continue with what she had been working on.

Or at least appearing like she had.

Alice hears the movement in her picture perfict mental map of her office. Asa approaches and Alice walks out from behind her desk. "Good evening Prince Clarke. Thank you." bone pale fingers trail along the top of her desk. "I had to custom order it." it should go without saying that Alice wouldn't have found a desk with it's legs carved as she wanted on the floor, but it was a moment to fill the silence and an admission that she'd ordered something specifically for her new Office.

With a gesture she offers the Prince a seat in one of the twin chairs placed in front of her desk.

"I'm free," as if there was any scenario in which she'd tell the Prince she was busy....unless the Domain was falling down around her ears, but if that were happening she'd sure the Prince wouldn't ask if she was free. Unless it was sarcasm, a dry wit as the world was ending. Sure. That was an acceptable scenario. "I've just gotten a letter from Madame Reeve Antinori, which I'm sure you've also received a variant of." a leading statement, the Haunt was trying to ferret out if this was about the torpor'd neonate and Strax or about something else.

[Asa]

"Thank you. And, yes. It's been quite the week for correspondence." Asa's tone was full of easy humor. Cloth rustled as he moved to take a seat and soft sounds from cushion indicated he'd sat. "At first I thought I was receiving surprise Valentines."

Like most, Asa loved pencil skirts. From the narrowing of the waist to the flare of hips, they created a singular whole defined by the elegant symmetry of a woman's legs. A timeless symmetry copied over and over in everything from vehicles to lamps, it was an inversion of clothing that showcased what lay between the legs by rendering it a blank canvas and showcasing the outline.

The truth was, it was just far more pleasant to look at than the voids in Alice Hart's face, framed by the disturbing white skin and features that did exist. But eventually he did return his gaze to the Seneschal's face, studying the darkness.

"From what I read, the Reeve handled a Breach, welcomed an out-of-towner, and manufactured some Boons." There was a slight lilt to the statement, an unspoken question of whether his summary was complete. "I suppose we can keep the Toprid neonate on ice for a while as an object lesson, unless San Francisco wants him back."

The words lapsed into silence, waiting to see if Alice had anything to add before he continued.

[Alice Hart]

Joining Asa in the chair opposite, crossing her legs at the ankle. "Would any Valentines you'd receive be a surprise?" Alice thought not, but perhaps the kindred of the domain wouldn't have dared. Well, Vivian might have.

The silence is long, and while not exactly comfortable, at least on Alice's end, it isn't uncomfortable either. The Wraith loosely coiled, isn't hissing and spitting at the monster across from her. Finding herself in a Coterie was pleasant, but each other women she surrounded herself with were monsters that had ice slicking her spine as the Wraith hissed and spat in equal parts hatred and terror.

Alice wonders what the Venture's doing in the silence. She cannot hear anything that might give her answers, so she simply settles on the Prince ordering his thoughts.

After Asa's words, Alice's nod is a slow, jerking, strings pulled thing. "Two Boons to the Domain and a third to Judex Twist." Alice clarifies, "Though the only thing that I find troubling is that the group was brought to here, to Elysium and the neonate was placed into torpor. I do not know the chain of events which caused the neonate to lose control and need to be contained. Both in what happened in Elysium, and what brought him from San Francisco to brake our Laws. But it does...lighten the discomfort knowing that Madame Reeve Antinori, has things well in hand."

[Asa]

"I suppose it would depend on who it was from."

She was right, though. It wasn't uncommon to find tokens of the day slipped under his office door or on his desk. The upstairs office. Littered with propositions and declarations from staff -- both Herd and mundane. Rather than continue the banter he considered the woman that had, a year ago, a half dozen Haunts at her fingertips.

She'd lost more than her eyes in the past year.

"I agree with your thoughts."

Asa spoke since she could not see a nod. Nor would she see the thoughtful expression that crossed his features at her being willing to criticize the Deputy and circumstances.

"Back in my day," his voice took on a sonorous, self deprecating tone to begin, "As a deputy we used empty warehouses and what-not for such." Something warm, echoes of memories of patrolling the streets with Ishani , touched his words. "Whatever the circumstances, and assuming the neonate was being brought for judgment, it was a poor decision. If he had already broken the First, and was unrestrained while preparing to hear the verdict..."

A very poor decision. The obvious question was why he hadn't already been staked.

"Please let the Reeve know that is unacceptable and should be avoided in the future."

Maybe he'd speak to Ishani about offering Alessandra advice. Or maybe not. The Mekhet had the subtlety of a hungry Savage at times and he nearly laughed at the thought of her struggling with small talk and an opening before getting annoyed and just saying, 'By the way, the Prince...' His eyes flickered over to the couch and the most common Breach of the First before returning to Alice.

"Now, speaking of letters," Asa paused and the rustle of cloth was joined by the crisp sound of skin on paper and said paper unfolding. "Let me read you one. Although perhaps this is a Valentine. Very well. It begins,

To His Grace, the Prince of Sacramento, Asa Clarke,

It is my regret to inform you that the officers of your court have acted most crassly, and I seek redress. They see fit to threaten my person while within the bounds of Elysium, and they do so while I have broken no laws. If they truly believe that I have acted inappropriately, and they truly believe that enacting physical violence is their only means of recourse, then I would be more than happy to accommodate them within the bounds of Monomacy, per the laws of your Domain. I would hate for them to feel that the duties of their office prevent them from following through with a desire they have so fervently expressed.

With your permission and blessing, I request the opportunity to issue this challenge, and to set dates for any that do not offer apology, as well as the promise to address me in the manner that I have requested.

Most sincerely, your loyal subject,

-B."

He paused.

"Technically," he added, "It's signed Dash, then the letter Bee, then a period. Dash single letter Bee period. Is this the requested manner of address? Dash Bee? Or is it Dash-Letter-Bee-Period."

Neonates.

[Alice Hart]

A hollow hum originates from her throat it might have been a laugh, as her mind tried to contemplate just who would dare send the Prince a Valentine, and of them, who'd be the most surprising.

Her thoughts interrupted with Asa's agreement of them. Or at least the ones she'd spoken aloud.

Another hollow hum or a-could-be-laugh escapes Alice as she detects the self-deprecating tone, cut short of becoming a full laugh as the rest of the words follow. "I will." a simple, firm agreement. None of this should have taken place in Elysium, and Alice knew with Alessondra's resources and network of contacts she could easily secure a warehouse for herself, and for Domain business.

The sounds of the new letter's reveal flutter around the room, and Asa's slow drawl fills the void like the sage smoke could not. With how she was growing to know the intricacies of Asa's voice Alice would wager that she could literally speak in the Princes voice as well as his name.

She'd have to practice.

The reading of the letter Bea'd sent is met with a sigh and if she still had eyes, it might have merited an eyeroll.

Finally she begins, "Actually it's just Bea. She hands out card with her phone number, stamped with the letter. Madame Reeve Antinori, simply called her 'Miss Connolly' as that is her surname. Were she anywhere other then Elysium I would be happy to comply with her...request. Which was rather rudely put. It wasn't her words alone, but her tone." And for a Blind Haunt in a position of power tone mattered a great deal. "It was aggressive and as I've said, rude. I told her if she continued to speak thusly and out of turn I would have her tongue." Alice admits blandly, finding absolutely nothing wrong with her decision, and the warning she'd given. Knowing many Kindred in her position would have simply taken her tongue, or even staked her to the wall, when faced with the argumentative and belligerent attitude of the Carthain Daeva. "I thought that perhaps some time away from it would help her think."

Folding her hands in her lap, "After yelling at my back as I was meeting with the Domain's newest Venture she stalked out of Elysium and I assume, wrote and sent that letter."

[Asa]

"This may be the most absurd thing I've heard since flare guns were passed out at a Mekhet Clan meeting."

Crackling paper faded into crunching rustles as the letter was wadded into a ball.

"It's fairly transparent that she's trying to tweak the Invictus by thumbing her nose at their first name tradition. You and the Reeve represent myself, though, and not the Invictus." Asa sighed and leaned back. "Once, years ago, a man was not paying attention as the Seneschal called for new arrivals to present themselves for Acknowledgment. And so he stood and announced himself for the wrong, and very obviously wrong, Clan. When the Seneschal expressed surprise, he corrected himself. The Prince at the time, Freddrick, told the man that he would name himself, and answer to, 'Clown' until the next Court."

Seneschal Twist. Sheriff Naetesh. Priscus Clarke. And the Daeva-Ratu.

"The point being this: that as long as she finds succor in my Domain, she will happily and politely answer to whatever I, or those who represent me, see fit to call her. Or she will find herself answering to a Dust Buster."

Asa leaned over and placed the paper ball on the desk.

"Can you handle this or shall I have Twist deliver my reply to the letter?"

[Alice Hart]

With the loss of her eyes, her mind's eye had been refined to a degree Alice hadn't known her mind was capable of, and Asa's words were just the thing that brought forth a barrage of images. Numbly as the images grew more and more wild and detailed she echos, "Flare guns...at a Mekhet Clan meeting." There was a story there, and maybe the Prince would share it with her, or maybe he'd leave her mind to continue to conjure horrible possibilities.

The crunching rustles of the letter told Alice more about Asa's thoughts on Bea's missive then what words alone could convey.

"Obviously. Demanding Monomacy or an apology," and it wasn't just the natural mockery of her voice the reinforced the absurdity of the ultimatum, but the jerking strings pulled head shake that followed. Stopping awkwardly mid-motion, before abruptly turning back towards Asa. "What Clan was he from, and what Clan did he announce himself as?" Though from the verbal clues given Alice could guess that he was of Clan Nosferatu, with a very obvious sort of Curse.

"I will handle it." A nod, as solemn, sincere and serious as she could make the strings pulls motion. "Though, would be out of the realm of possibility to ask Archon Twist for pointers?"