(1709) Ale and Lady Loretta

[Alessandra]

She waits until the Lady stops before addressing her.

“Lady Loretta, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I do hope your trip here was pleasant.” Was she ok not using her Titles of Function? Urgh, she really needed to look into that more. “Forgive me if I misuse your Titles of Function, I haven’t been in the First Estate long and I’m still learning.” Best to be upfront about it.

Then the purpose of the meeting became clear, the Brood.

There was a nod, “We do, unfortunately, and they have proven to be quite a nuisance.” That was to say the least. Then there was a look of surprise, “Really? It’s time like these that I wish there was better communication between the various Domains. But I would very much like to talk about the problem and how we can help,” a pause, looking for the english word, “alleviate a mutual problem. What can you tell me of your dealings with them?”

[Yumyumcrow]

A small smile crept across Lady Loretta's face.

"There is no need for Titles now. We have been introduced." The fan spread and flowed briefly.

"Yes. The Brood has become a... nuisance... As you say. One always hears rumours that they have secret covens in the Sacramento Valley and in L.A. Occasionally one discovers a small cult has made its way to the Bay and needs to be uprooted."

She shifted on her tiny feet.

"More recently they have been seen heading your way. Earlier this year it was believed that they had the Domain here almost entirely surrounded. We have heard only confusing reports since and we were not intercepted on our journey here. So, I must ask: do you have a handle on the situation? I know for a fact that some of us were becoming quite concerned."

The fan moved again.

"My problems. Not as mysterious or as dire as yours. The Kindred of Oakland had a scare, which has united them behind their Prince. And we had to send Lord Fox into San Matteo to uproot a cult that had sprung up there; no doubt it was feeding on the chaos engulfing that Domain. None of these events were major and were dealt with appropriately. Now Lord Fox uncovered quite a bit of correspondence with the group from San Matteo. What he uncovered could be of interest to you."

The Daeva took a step or two closer.

"It would seem that some of your operations have broken the leadership structure of the Brood out here. Yes, they do have more coming. But it would appear they are squabbling among themselves - that includes the covens in the Bay as well; so I should pass on my thanks, otherwise the Brood would be a powerful force right now. They all want to avenge the Lizard Prince... Whoever that is. But they all want the glory for doing so."

Dark eyes surveyed the Reeve.

"And something else. A warning. A warning to avoid Roseville at all costs. Do you know anything of that?"

[Alessandra]

If the Lady says no need for Titles, then there was no need for Titles. Ale knew her place and if someone higher ranking than her spoke, she listened. So there was simply a nod.

“Sounds like they’re more wide spread than I originally believed.” She knew the Brood were a problem for Domains and Kindred, it had been that way a while. But to hear them popping up in Domains close to theirs was troubling to say the least.

Having them surrounded? That was news.

“If I’m being honest with you, I wasn’t aware of the brood being an real issue until fairly recently. We’ve had them cause some trouble, but they never really seemed to make a direct attack. Last year they attacked the Crone Farm, burning it to the ground. Which lead us to look into their activity. As to having it under control?” there was a frown, “I can’t honestly say for sure yet. We had a nasty run in with a couple months ago and are preparing for another one. We believe a previous Kindred of our Domain is either leading them or working closely with them. But we have every intention of ending them once and for all.” Now, if they would be successful remained to be seen.

Again, the Savage listens, each word heard. Intense interest on her face.

There was a slight chuckle then, “One of my first runs in with them had us disrupting a ritual they were doing. A member of my Family fell that night, but we were able to eliminate them and the house they were using. Plus we learned of who they were looking to impress. They were also using another Kindred, one that had been Reeve, in a ritual. I’d never seen anything like it, but they appeared to be worshiping her. We took her, the Brood we incapacitated, burned the house and went from there. Both of them are now ash, and we managed to take our seven of them.” Yeah, she was proud of what they did that night. The odds were stacked against them and they came out on top.

Then that name again, The Lizard Prince.

Nodding, “The Brood we captured spoke of this Lizard Prince. From what I’ve been told, this all stems back to the Prince that lead Sacramento prior to His Highness, Prince Clarke. We were told that Prince Straiphen was ashed, and that it was done to both end his suffering from being tortured and to prevent him being a threat to our Domain. If this is the Lizard Prince they speak of, well, he’s gone. And avenging him will not get them whatever they seek. I personally believe there is more going on to this than we are all aware of. I hope that at the next encounter, we are able to get some answers before bloodshed. Because we cannot hope to end the Brood without a clear picture of what is driving them. And I believe that simply avenging someone isn’t the whole picture.” Someone was adding fuel to the fire so to speak.

Another nod, “I’ve have been giving some information on it. The one we captured made mention of that location, and another one. Places that she claimed they controlled. One of our members wished to look into some addresses that the Brood we had captured mentioned, and Roseville was one of them. And from the sounds of it, it wasn’t some place we should look into alone. The buildings on the property have burnt to the ground, so if there is anyone there, it’s been guessed that they are underground. Meaning it would be a fight on their terms and in an area they know. It’s some place I want to look into and get them out if they are indeed holed up there. But that’s going to take more careful planning and more manpower than we currently have. So our plan is to bring the Brood to a place of our choosing, and if we are successful, move on to any location they have and burn them to the ground. The message being loud and clear, that they are not welcome here.” She would get rid of the brood threat if it was the last thing she did.

“Though I am curious, where did the information of the threat come from?” had they had their own success capturing a Brood? “Or was it something this Lord Fox was able to obtain? I would certainly love to hear how he was able to be successful and what more he may have uncovered. Because certainly things that have been used against them and been successful is worth knowing.” Unless they didn’t want to share how they handled it. Which would be interesting.

[Yumyumcrow]

Lady Loretta remained impassive as she listened to Alessandra. She did not even blink.

"I understand," the Invictus Lady said at last. "The Brood are particularly careful when they wish to be. They could have been preparing for some time before they showed their hand. And from what you say, they believed that they had the advantage in strength and numbers. That says a lot about your capabilities."

There was a ghost of a smile flittering across the Daeva's lips.

"If they are as fractured as our information suggests, you should have an easier time of it in future."

As the topic turned to the Lizard Prince, Lady Loretta simply nodded. She had little to offer in return.

"Lord Fox has proved useful for our Domain. He turned his hand to establishing a militia for the common defence. And that militia was used to great effect burning out a well defended Brood haven. My understanding is that once they had cleared the beastly scum out, they discovered much correspondence - letters and phones, I imagine. The Shadow reached out to old contacts and they were able to piece the information together. The information was presented to our Primogen and a strategy created. It does not help you much though. Our Domain is making itself a small target as the focus still appears to be on you."

At last, the Daeva smiled.

[Alessandra]

Ale nods, “They certainly are. Though it is quite surprising to see them banding together like this. The ones I’ve come across in my travels aren’t nearly as dedicated to a cause.” Her head then bows, “Grazie, but I owe a lot to my deputy and those who have stood up to fight against them.” Their numbers might be low, but they weren’t about to lay down and let the Brood take their Domain.

“One can only hope that future dealings with them are easier. But we still won’t let our guard down, even when their last safe house is burned to the ground.” And it would be. Every place the Brood felt safe would be a pile of ash when she was done.

She listens, and needs to remember to go through the safe houses before burning them. Maybe they could find something useful as well.

“We didn’t gather much from them with our first run in. Some piece of paper with a what appeared to be a code, and the Brood we took with us. But we weren't able to figure the was." though with the recent info gathered, could the code be something useful for those locations? A safe combo or something? Worth checking into. "She was more attitude than help, but that’s to be expected.” So not much useful info to be shared, but a little.

Chuckling, “Well, we did make quite an impression and ashed the woman they were worshiping.” And if they could end them, all the better, for both Domains it seemed.

“Do you suppose Lord Fox would be willing to speak with me on the matter?” never hurt to ask, worse she’d say was no. Then that would be that and Ale would move on. But talking with someone who had been successful with battling the Brood? Well, that would be priceless.

“I thank you for the information. I only hope we are as successful in our next attack as we were in our first. Were there any other matters you wished to discuss? Not that I’m hurrying you along, I’m quite enjoying our conversation.” But she also didn’t want to take up the woman’s whole evening. That’d be rude.

[Yumyumcrow]

"Perhaps we can corner him when he has finished with the fun and games," Lady Loretta replied coyly.

"I don't mind carry on our conversation. I was wondering if we could to some sort of arrangement. To further our Covenant, naturally. And ourselves, of course. I understand that the Bay Carthian Movement has demonstrated that it can reach your Domain. Greater ties at this this time of peril are warranted, surely?"

The Daeva extended her fan; bought it, fluttering, up to her face.

[Alessandra]

Smirking, “I’m sure we could manage that.” Would be nice to talk with the guy. Maybe he would share some useful info, maybe not.

Arrangement?

Ah, the Carthians. “Well, a few have made their way here. But in typical Carthian fashion, they seemed to filter out just as quickly as they appear. We tend to see one or two every couple months, they join together, and then leave.” Shrug, not a real concern. “But I can see the benefits of greater ties, our own numbers are not what they once were.” There was a frown, it was sad really. She finally joins a Covenant and the number dwindle.

“Tell me, what sort of arrangement did you have in mind?” the Savage was curious. But also didn’t know if she had the ability or standing to forge any arrangement. But she could listen, learn and go from there. Surely Twist would see the benefit to an arrangement, so long as their Domain benefited that is.

And what was with that fan? A security blanket of sorts?

[Yumyumcrow]

"For one, greater ties between our Domains." Lady Loretta smiled from behind her fan. "Sacramento is only a two night drive away from the Bay, at the most. If safe houses have been prepared before hand, you could do it in one night - and maybe with enough time to transact some business before you have to retire for the Daysleep. Members of our Covenant should at least be able to communicate, face to face, yes? And I am sure that the Marquis of Haight-Ashbury would gladly welcome you to his Court; as I am certain he would be welcome here..."

The Daeva took a breath, cunningly hiding her face with her fan.

"In this Domain where a powerful Duchess has much influence, yes?"

Carefully crafted words. Prince Asa. Absent Prince Asa, had recently switched his allegiance to the Ordo Dracul. The fan dropped by stages.

"The Marquis, our Judex, is happy to provide support to our Covenant in Oakland and other Domains in the Bay. I am sure he would be happy to do the same here. By that, I do mean material support. Ours is a large Domain. And very rich. As you say, your numbers are not what they once were."

Lady Loretta turned slight and sought out Marvyn Stax with his distinctive mullet.

"You have already enticed the Marquis' protege. I understand he has been well welcomed and situated nicely within your Court?"

[Alessandra]

She listens and nods, the Lady’s words weren’t off.

“I’m quite sure with notice safe houses can certain be prepared. Though if you were looking for something, hmm, more permanent, it could be looked into. I’m not at liberty to extend such an offer of course, but I’m confident that His Grace would be receptive, he’s quite a reasonable man.” Surely he would see the benefits of such an arraignment. “And I do agree, communicating face to face is preferable, especially considering how close our Domains are.” Now it would be an interesting adventure to visit this Marquis, meet him, see how he ran his Court and Domain. A smile appears, “Of course, we always try and welcome visitors from neighboring Domains, especially ones in such important positions.” She personally hadn’t had the chance to do such a thing. But with how welcoming the Domain had been when she arrived, she couldn’t see Asa being rude or unwelcoming to a visiting Kindred in high standing.

Though the mention of Twist and not Asa was noted. Was there a reason? Was it the lack of his presence here this evening? Or had Asa’s change in Covenant made news within other Domains? She didn’t know, but it was worth remembering either way.

A nod, “Her Grace, Alder Twist, Duchess of Sacramento is a very powerful and influential woman indeed.” Might as well get all Twists titles out there. “If you wished to make her acquaintance, I could look into getting something setup.” Maybe the Lady wanted an in with Twist. And if so, the Savage hoped she hadn't put her foot into her mouth and was making a good impression.

Her eyes follow and find Stax, “While I didn’t meet him under the most wonderful of circumstances, he has proven to be quite useful and a fine guest. I like to believe we have been very accommodating to any requests he has, and he’s provided us with this fine night of games. I personally have found him to be very personable and grounded.” She didn’t have a problem with the guy, things had been rocky at first, but seemed to be good now. Maybe it was a good thing she didn’t ash him that night?

[Yumyumcrow]

Lady Loretta could have been a statue.

"Oh? Of course... Then, yes. I would most certainly be appreciative of an introduction to Her Grace, should there be time."

The Daeva's head moved, turned toward the little arena where combat continued. "Flawless..." The Unconquered breathed.

"I should most like that you consider establishing ties between our Courts. I would be happy to extend an invitation to Court on the Marquis behalf."

Lady Loretta did not even react when Alessandra referred to Asa by his old Invictus titles.