The Stars Are Right

On the 21st Street, between W and X and right below the freeway is a place of wonder and change - Sacramento Outdoor Marketplace. It hosts various events at different times, but tonight this space is ruled by book and antique vendors. In hastily constructed stalls, from folding tables and camp beds, grimoires and artifacts are exchanged for other goods and services. In this shrine of capitalism, every price is right. Behind this main attraction, restrooms, food trucks and a parking lot cater to the mundane needs of those that show up.

And it's a diverse crowd. Wannabe occultists. Collectors and their lackeys, all in expensive suits. Goths that forgot the century has changed. Some tourists. And many, many others.

And then, there's Thomas, dressed in a dark business casual attire. He appears focused on a tattered copy of The Kybalion one of the bouquinistes has on offer, wondering if he'll be able to afford it. Also, he smells something else in the air. As if some significant event is going to transpire right here, right now.

  2 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2019-01-26 14:16:26		Adam Exlibrist rolls 9 to Cloak of Night (Int + Stealth + Obf + Alone) (10 Again)		3, 5, 2, 4, 3, 5, 3, 10, 7, 10, 5		2 successes

Books and antiques attracted the Archivist like a moth to a flame. Adam had stumbled upon this marketplace by the cursed blessings of the Dark Father. Among the kine the stench of countless sins. Hidden from the Kine and with his Beast masked, Kindred too. Adam would make his presence known only when needed. The best shadows were those no one noticed. The easiest way to survive one's requiem is to be overlooked.

Items misplaced often are so because that which was unseen, unnoticed, took them.

For a moment, Thomas thinks he's seen movement behind him - not like the kine around, but someone trying to stay hidden, purposefully. He looks around and almost catches a shape in how the air moves, but ultimately it's as if trying to grab smoke.

  1 success

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2019-01-26 18:32:43		Thomas Boyle rolls 7 to Anyone there? (10 Again)		1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 4, 5		1 success

After a moment, Thomas convinces himslef that this was merely a trick his mind played on him and returns to peruse the goods, oblivious to Adam's presence.

Even without using the Dark Gift of Sight, Adam spies Thomas.

  5 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2019-01-26 19:18:27		Adam Exlibrist rolls 6 to Perception (Wits + Comp) (10 Again)		9, 5, 10, 4, 9, 1, 10, 9		5 successes

For now, the Shadow would shadow. The Lordly Crone appears to be browsing books. Adam notices the object of the other Kindred's focus.

  2 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2019-01-26 19:22:50		Adam Exlibrist rolls 8 to Identify the book Thomas is focused on (Int. + Occult) (10 Again)		2, 4, 5, 10, 6, 3, 10, 5, 3, 6		2 successes

The Kybalion. Not exactly kindergarten material. Adam had read a copy of the book in the library of the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose. He would not need this one having memorized every word from the copy he read.

After some time in the shadows, it will be obvious for the Legate that Thomas is mostly window shopping. He doesn't engage in any lengthy bargain, as if knowing he isn't going to get much out of it, anyway. Furthermore, the academically minded Sanctified notices the Lord's interests are eclectic - any links between the books and artifacts he peruses are superficial.

Interestingly, a few kine seem to recognize Thomas and greet him in a friendly manner - and he greets them back.

Slipping behind Thomas, Adam's beast protests, whimpers and urges him to flee. With a mental crack of the whip, Adam drops his cloak in the general vicinity of Thomas so as not to appear to have been stalking him. "Suprised to see you among such mundane literature. Perhaps searching for a particular tome?"

An eyebrow is raised at the Legate. Not that he was out of place, the Mekhet seemed skilled enough in matters of the occult, it's the surprise that a Sanctified Kindred would seek the company of a heathen.

"Mundane? You may be right, most of the items here are either fake or too damaged to be of any real use, but still... there's knowledge to be gleaned from them, in some form. What few people realize is that searching needles in haystacks can be very edifying, especially with so many different people around. Besides, with the Temple open I wanted to get some decent reading material" He flashes the Legate a polite smile. "But I'm rambling. Shall we step to the side a bit?"

There's certainly a fair share of freaks here, but why risk being overheard by someone who knows what to look for? Thomas makes his way to a deserted corner of the area, where the marketplace's noises mix into an indistinct murmur. If Adam follows, the Ventrue continues "How about yourself? Did you get what you wanted from Seneschal York?"

Adam follows Thomas, "No, I did not. The Sanctum records contained within its library will remain a mystery for now."

Well, the Legate/Bishop was a man of few words.

"I see" Thomas says before "So, I take it you're here in an official capacity? Did you travel from afar?" He eyes the Shadow curiously "During our previous meeting you displayed quite a bit of knowledge on the matters obscure to most. I guess you, too, are here to broaden your horizons and build a personal library?"

"Official capacity, perhaps in a manner of speaking. I am here to find out what happened to my predecessors and rebuild the church. Part of that does include rebuilding. I am in no hurry to return to San Francisco without achieving those goals."

"Personal library? Never had the need to read a book twice. But I do enjoy having a collection on hand. Places like these, however, do turn up a tome or two I have yet to read."