Three's A Crowd

[Hugh Everwood]

Making short work of canceling what was planned for the night, Jesse made his way back to the very same corner he's waited for Bea and her fancy car before. New meeting with her, new drive through the streets and possibly out of town. Along with Bea's friend.

Got no kindling idea who that might be. Could be some new Carthian in town. Jesse hadn't been paying attention to the coming and going of Kindred lately. Going to fix that next big meeting come.

Jesse was leaning against the wall, hands in the pockets of his jeans with one foot resting against the surface as well, knee bend as he looked around for the now familiar car. He gave smiles at anyone who looked at him funny for standing at the corner as he was which made them generally flee, likely getting the wrong idea just as he knew they would.

Droll things they were, Kine.

Seeing Bea pull up, he pushed away from his spot and made his way to the car, someone sitting in the front already that got into the backseat — sliding into the middle of the seat so he wasn't looming behind one over the other. Made talking easier, too. Also wouldn't give the Beast no idea to reach around and throttle one of them. Wouldn't do much, being Kindred and all, but the Beast wasn't much a thinker.

"Howdy you two," he drawled while getting cozy. Friendly and all-comradely as if he didn't feel his Beast stir at the two predators, claws raking angrily inside his mind as the creature glowered with a bristle, ready to attack or force him to make a dive out of the car.

Dramatic — kind of awkward in way of greeting, that.

Here's the thing for when you two are ready! Also, -1 Blood for Blush of Life.

[Bea]

A demon in the back seat...it was like a bad Sunday parable, but it didn't make Bea want to jump out of her skin any less.

Fucking Beasts...

In time, they'll realize just how fucking hungry mine really is, Bea thought to herself, her hands wringing the wood of her steering wheel for a moment as she adjusted to her new passenger.

But, then she was all smiles, looking at Jesse through the rear view mirror.

"Howdy, partner," she joked back, slowly pulling away from the corner.

"I'd like to introduce you to Dominic Ashton , a Ventrue, formerly of Chi-town. He's just moved to our fair city, and things being what they are, I thought he would be a great fit to our little band of brothers and sisters. Things are going to start getting hotter, soon, so it's not a bad idea to start making new allies. Particularly after...a small misstep I recently had. Hence the delay in our announcement."

[Hugh Everwood]

Making a finger gun at Bea through the rear mirror when she called him partner, adding a wink for good measure, he went to give the man in green jacket his attention. Hard not to when you were offered a hand to shake.

Said hand got a good glance or two before Jesse reached forwards to take it, giving it a friendly shake. His Beast didn't much appreciate the contact to the other Kindred, but it got over it quicker than when rearing its head at meeting some of his kind for the first time a night.

Annoying trait, that. Really could do without it.

"Is that right?" He glanced over to Bea, looking at her through the rear mirror again, grinning, before leaning back in the seat with his arms along the back getting all comfortable back here on his lonesome. "Never can have too many allies, ain't that right?" Rhetorical, really, but nonetheless true. "Nice meeting you on this fine night. Mind if I go call you Dom? First name base already established and all."

Figured he might be one of them Movement fellas. Good Doc seems to have gone left the city after his banishment to the barrens.

Jesse clicked his tongue thoughtfully. "Well got questions, don't have to go wasting time not asking them. Shoot. Can go ask first, think of it as my welcome gift in the city, hm?" Meanwhile, he glanced back towards Bea. Got a lot of uses, that rear mirror. Good seat back here. "Just got me curious: This 'not bowing low enough' kind of misstep or bigger?"

Probably bigger if she wanted to go stay quiet about their little alliance and meet right this very moment instead of introducing Dominic some other time.

[Bea]

"Well, at the moment, that's the problem Jesse," Bea clarified, a frown tugging on her lips as she began to merge them into the city traffic.

"If you don't bow low enough, the King will take your head. The full scenario, though, is this: the Reeve did some intrusive digging and tried to refer to me by a Kine alias. That pissed me off, seeing as how Ive given everyone a printed little memento just in case theyre unsure what to call me. Still, I acted rashly and snapped at her. Nothing worse than what a Harpy might have done, but the Seneschal also took offense and, as mentioned, immediately threatened me with the Sword.

"At that point, I decided Id probe the waters a bit. I thought Id see just how fond of the sword they really were, so I issued a formal challenge, per the laws of the domain. As I assumed would happen, the response was that the only people allowed to weild the sword are those who also control the laws. So, at this point, I am persona non grata in this piss bucket of a Domain. Obviously, our alliance wouldnt be worth much if I dragged you both into that same situation."

[Hugh Everwood]

While Dominic was thinking about his questions, Jesse listened to Bea and made a noise that could be surprise or just him trying not to open his mouth and say nothing productive.

Eventually, he just went and whistled lightly.

"Harpies are called that for a reason, can get away with harpying on people." Might be a little more complicated than that, but a Harpy had a bit more leeway about talking to people from his experience. "Can see how that might be causing problems about allies or be putting a dampener onto our little alliance plan." Sins of one reflecting badly on the others, Kindred got being petty down to a T, they did.

Unless torpor struck they usually got good memories as well. Not as good as his but still, good enough.

"Mighty kind to give a warning proper though. Guess we'll just be having our alliance be on the down low side to the public eye. Should anyone really be looking, can't be hard to have it look like just one hand washing the other if nothing been announced to no one. Dealing in favors ain't nothing new to our kind." He clicked his tongue. "Guess you're trying to fly low under the radar for now until the worst blows over or ways have been found out of it?"

[Bea]

"Covert, is the word," Bea agreed, nodding briefly into the rear view mirror as she drove. "It will give us more room to maneuver, and give y'all plausible deniability."

[Hugh Everwood]

"Dom it is." Jesse nodded his head, seemingly pleased about this for some reason that was only for him to know.

Jesse chuckled at the questions, clicking his tongue lightly before grinning.

"Not much to tell about little old me," he drawled, giving a roll with his shoulders in way of a shrug, "been around for a while now. Not even sure if the village I was born in ain't just some ghost town nowadays or even stands at all."

Jesse shrugged. He could probably find it, if he cared to. The world might change but he didn't forget nothing.

"Wouldn't be surprised if there are older folks in the city." Another shrug, not really caring if there were. Any form of measurement contest was ridiculous. "Been moving around a lot, staying here and there; sometimes longer, other times not before finally coming to Sacramento. Never stayed here before, you know? Reckon might have gone passed through it some time, but never really for long to give me much an impression."

"For your second question: Might not be a bad thing, me being Unaligned. Like you said, ain't in no fancy club with no real political view to try and slap people in the face with. Just keeping to the laws of the domain and the officials. Polite-like. Might just make them more inclined to deal with me than either of you two." He gave a light shrug. "Never know how Kindred work, eh? Pettiness goes a long way. Mistrust, as well. Sure, might see me as your middleman or something but there are worse things."

Hand moved, pointing at Bea. "Covert ain't nothing bad. Can get people to drop defense and strike when they ain't expecting nothing. My sire was a fan of that." Jesse waved the hand to dismiss the latter part. "Beside the point, though. Reckon might not be the best time for joining your Movement neither. Being lumped together with you troublemakers and all. Now when we can go make it official a thing and I decide to join after all, people won't be all too surprised."

[Vampire ST]

Jesse open the door, jumps out, and runs off into the night. Seems he meant really covert.