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  1. #1
    D
    Dominic Ashton

    Gentle footsteps echoed along the deserted street. They were slow and steady, and belonged to a man who felt no rush. Indeed, most of his night had spent strolling the streets of Sacramento, and even as he approached his true destination, Dominic felt no need to hurry.

    The rendezvous with Bea was something he had been waiting for since his first night in the Domain, and his long walk to that night had been the Lord's way of planning. As he had meandered through block after block Dominic thought of what he was going to say, what questions he had to ask, and how he was going to deal with his fellow Carthian given her somewhat explosive temper. It was an unfortunate scenario, but as a new arrival he was dependent on Bea's knowledge of the Domain to get his bearings and to breath some life into a Movement that only consisted of the two of them. With luck this would be the first step in developing a good working relationship. He hoped luck was on his side.

    Over a brief call, they had agreed to meet at a small lot off of Garden Highway just north of the Sacramento River. It was largely empty space. A few cars sat unattended under a lamp post, but from what Dominic could see there was no one else around. He glanced down at his watch. "2:58. She should be here any minute."

    An old cellphone was removed from his pocket, and Dominic tapped out a brief text. "Back corner of the lot nearest to the river. In a green jacket. Ready and waiting."




    -1 Vitae for Blush of Life Cayce Bea Connolly

  2. #2
    Bea's Avatar

    Bea
    Bea

    2
    PRE

    Almost a full minute later, a dark blue sedan pulled into the lot and slowly began to circle, prowling forward, headlight casting back the shadows and revealing the night in stark relief. Eventually, the sedan pulled to a halt in front of Dominic. The passenger window rolled down, revealing the features of the Kindred he'd last seen causing such a stir within the Elysium.

    "Your chariot," she declared archly, waiting for him to climb inside; an inside which he could already see was far, far more luxurious than what the chrome VW emblem on the front of the car had seemed to promised.

    "I'm afraid I didn't get your last message,"
    she added after a beat. "Small, glowing screens make for poor company when driving, unfortunately."
    Bea ("Bee"). Daeva, Carthian Movement. Pres 2 (Unimpressed).

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  4. #3
    D
    Dominic Ashton

    There clear surprise on Dominic's face as he peers into Bea's car. "Nice ride. Very nice." Most of the cities he had lived in had easily accessible public transportation, so the only time he had ever owned a car was when going between cities. Those vehicles were matters of convenience. They were cheap and disposable. Bea apparently had in style what she lacked in manners.

    Hopping in the car, Dominic offered his fellow Carthian a handshake and then put on his seatbelt. "We can stay here or go elsewhere. Makes no difference to me."

    For a moment his mind drifts back to his walk. Of what to say and where to start. "So Bea..." He glances at her to see if he had said it correctly. "It seems the Movement consists of you and I currently. I thought we should meet, and do some more thorough introductions than what we had the chance to do at Court." It had consisted of little more than a head nod and a grimace after all. "And if we haven't staked each other by the end of those introductions, I'd be deeply appreciative if I could pick your brain on the state of things here in Sacramento." There is a jovial note to his voice at the end. An attempt at reassurance perhaps?

  5. #4
    Bea's Avatar

    Bea
    Bea

    2
    PRE

    Parking lots were actually one of Bea's favorite places to have conversations, but the moment the Lord mentioned stakes, she put the car back into gear and rudely accelerated, bringing them back out of the lot, and out onto the street. It was much harder to secretly abduct or assassinate someone driving a car through the city than it was to do it in a parking lot at night.

    "If you brought a stake," Bea finally replied, quickly whipping the car around a corner and slipping into the downtown traffic, "then I invite you to drop it out the window."

    It would be more conspicuous than she'd like, but she wasn't going to have a conversation with a stranger who was holding one on his person. And, if he hadn't just been speaking metaphorically, and refused to comply...well, that didn't need to be specified now.

    She gave the Lord a moment to choose, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, and then continued her response.

    "As I believe you've witnessed, the state of the Domain is far less than pleasant. Aside from the usual riff raff, the only people of note in the city are complacent as long as nothing upsets the status quo, nevermind that are some issues that need to be resolved. With you here, though, I believe that we can resolve those issues. Assuming, of course, that you're not looking to cash in a quick favor so the current regime has a recent to trust you."


    She spared him a full stare as they pulled up to the next stop light.

    Was his talk of stakes more than just poorly judged humor?
    Bea ("Bee"). Daeva, Carthian Movement. Pres 2 (Unimpressed).

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  7. #5
    D
    Dominic Ashton

    A full body eye-roll is repressed by Dominic as he realized she took the stake joke seriously. This girl was high strung, but in her position it wasn't surprising. "It was a joke. I didn't ask for a meeting just to try and kill a woman I don't know." Then immediately a hand comes up as a sort of stop sign for the obvious thought. "And no, I'm not looking to sell you out as a quick way to build favor with the ruling class here." Of course, the idea that they'd trust someone so new to kill Bea was unreasonable, not that they'd need to cover it up. Then again, she was paranoid, and with reason, so the Lord probably needed to be more patient.

    Dominic's voice then took on a much firmer tone. One that is dark and heavy with thought. "You want to challenge the status quo and want my help. So I guess my question is..." Dominic rolled up his window. "What change are you hoping to affect here?"

    Was Bea some kind of revolutionary? Maybe she just needed conflict to thrive. She wouldn't be the first with pent up aggression and self-esteem issues to use the Movement to vent their frustrations.

  8. #6
    Bea's Avatar

    Bea
    Bea

    2
    PRE

    The paranoia also wasn't helped by the fact that she could feel a large predator hiding inside the meat suit next to her, hemmed in by the steel and glass of the car. Thankfully, however, she wasn't surprised to feel this. She'd felt this once before, when they'd first met. She knew what she'd be inviting into the plush interior of her vehicle, even if that primordial, insidious Beast inside her had apparently forgotten, and so she ignored it until it receded again.

    Thankfully, the Lord also seemed keen to make peace, and so she turned back to the road and continued driving.

    "The change I'd like effect in the long term is fairly obvious, I think,"
    Bea explained, "so I'll talk about the short term.

    "To start with,
    " she continued, "this Domain is lacking in neutral ground. Half of the people in the Domain are able to violate the limits of Elysium while the other half are still bound by them. What's more, if there's ever a need for a meeting place, but safety can't be assured, such as with poachers, or foreign Kindred, there's nowhere to hold such meetings. So I say the Movement should create and provide one. As a service to the Domain, you see."

    She smiled at that, though it was more bitter amusement than it was true mirth.

    "The only other short term goal I've identified is finding a way to convince everyone to put their hackles down."
    Bea ("Bee"). Daeva, Carthian Movement. Pres 2 (Unimpressed).

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  10. #7
    D
    Dominic Ashton

    People always assumed that Carthians all wanted the same things. Still, Dominic just nodded at her mention of long term goals. Maybe she was a totalitarian communist. He couldn't say for sure.

    "By neutral ground do you mean a structure or locale, or are you wanting the Movement to have a tenurial domain that can be administered entirely by our members?" There were pros and cons to each, and one was certainly easier than the other to achieve. Of course, there was no reason to come down on either side of things yet. Maybe there was some other path that Bea had seen that he had not. "Regardless, I do agree that it is a manageable short term goal that would keep people unified, but I want to be sure I'm understanding you clearly."

    She was right though. Carthians, especially neonates tended to prioritize their own personal goals over that of the Movement. A common goal that offered them a place to safely pursue their own personal agendas was as good a carrot as any Dominic had seen. If it wasn't he was sure there were more than a few sticks available between himself and Bea.

  11. #8
    Bea's Avatar

    Bea
    Bea

    2
    PRE

    "A location with a structure," Bea clarified, the smile fading back into the same, non-plussed expression that she usually wore. "One that is owned and maintained by the Movement, but that is rented out, essentially, to the Domain. Not an Elysium, not a safe haven, but a place where anyone in the Domain is able to conduct their business away from prying eyes. Think of it almost like a community center...for psychotic monsters."

    She hoped he understood what she meant. She could imagine why he might not, this normally wasn't a problem for a Domain to have, but he seemed bright enough to recognize the appeal in providing such a necessary service to the City.


    "We could even offering cleaning services. For a fee."


    Removing tongues, and other body parts, was rather messy, after all.

    "Are you interested in helping me with that," she asked, then, "or have you seen another opportunity?"
    Bea ("Bee"). Daeva, Carthian Movement. Pres 2 (Unimpressed).

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  13. #9
    D
    Dominic Ashton

    "My only concern would be trust." It was always trust with vampires. "We'd have a hard time renting the space to other members of the Domain. And to be honest..." Dark eyes glance over at Bea with a steely resolve. "If they are in our house, I'd want my eyes to be prying on them." The implication is allowed to hang in the air for a moment. "But, regardless of the viability of the business model, I agree that we need a safe physical location where we can meet without the Court looming over head. If we can rent that out to others, all the better."

    There was something in the way Bea spoke that was off, and then it occurred to the Lord. "Cleaning services. Neutral ground. Business that needs to be hidden. You speak like a woman with criminal tendencies." His tongue rubs the tip of one of his canine teeth. "That's not an imposition to me, but that's not the world I operate in. My world is a much more legitimate place." No doubt they'd blend their mutual interests together. "If we're committing our common resources to this cause, I need it to be just as useful to me as it is for our psychotic cousins and whatever bodies they'll be stashing in the basement. If you can agree to that we will be in business."

    Now it was time to move to the minutia of the night to night. For now, Dominic was content to start gently. "Say Bea, do we have any prospective members?" How they would integrate new Carthians into this real estate venture would come momentarily.

  14. #10
    Bea's Avatar

    Bea
    Bea

    2
    PRE

    Bea couldn't help but give a small laugh. She didn't intend it to be condescending, but it was profoundly funny what Dominic had just said.

    "I think you'll find, if you really think about it,"
    she began to reply, fangs seeping into her smile, "that there is no such thing as legitimacy when it comes to the Kindred. Just getting a snack is aggravated assault at best, and it's a rare Beast that's never killed while hungry. Not to mention that our blood is more powerful and addictive than any controlled substance in the world, and our condition precludes any claims we might have to citizenship."

    She turned to look at Dominic again, as they pulled up to the next stop light.

    "Our existence places us outside the bounds of the law. That's why we have that whole Masquerade thing."


    "So I'm not trying to make a place for criminals,"
    Bea elaborated, "I'm trying to make a place for fucking Vampires. Do you understand? Because the only places that currently exist are essentially sacred safe zones, and I've already witnessed both officials and guests of this Domain profane those areas because there was nowhere else for them to conduct their business. Kindred business."
    Bea ("Bee"). Daeva, Carthian Movement. Pres 2 (Unimpressed).

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