(1906) A Bruja and... Company?

[Madcap]

"If that's true, then he'd best learn the way of it all quick," Madcap offered as Ellis floated the idea of Jack being insecure, "He ain't gonna fix shit or get any real traction before then."

At the mention of the Prince's apparent want for perfect, quiet evenings at Court, Madcap chuckled.

"Let's call her idealistic and leave it at that," the Bruja said. The Prince wasn't around, but some who were known allies were and Madcap wasn't about to bad mouth her and let them twist his comments. He'd rather say it to the Prince's face. In private. "Court is meant to settle disputes and deal with things that are pretty shitty honestly. For that we need her or a rep that's been given the go ahead to speak on her behalf. Her Herald abandoned her duty to go sulk. Another strike, if you ask me. That leaves the Seneschal and she seems a pleasant enough sort. I like her, though I doubt she'd say the same of me considering it all."

Madcap had a strong feud brewing with a fellow official of the Court and had been quite public of his disapproval of the Prince. Frankly, if the Seneschal was still impartial towards him that would be a fucking miracle.

"I'm curious, though, how exactly was I at fault in your eyes, Ellis?" he asked. The Daeva had mentioned he felt both of them had mucked things up, but the Bruja seemed genuinely confused at the idea. The difference was, Ellis was being respectful and speaking as an observer. Thus, Madcap was willing to hear him out, "The Herald approached me about settling things. Despite his neglect, I accepted and made my reasoning for settling it here obvious. I even guided him to discuss Prestation, he refused to take it, as you saw, and offered me a six pack to let it go. I'm not sure what he takes me for, but I think it's pretty clear I'm not so hodunk Kine doing him a favor. I refused the offer and took it for what it was: an insult. Then he pushed me further when I told him to leave me be... So where do you think I was wrong?"

"If I felt it stood a chance in changing things, I'd probably take up your services," Madcap offered, granting the Daeva a mild compliment as he spoke of potentially putting time and effort, "but I don't. So I'll just say good luck."

"It's long," the Bruja replied at the question of his history, "I'm sure there's a few here who are older. Always is. Still, my story is long enough that I can't really discuss it in detail over one night. A lot of years and the Fog doesn't help. If you're wanting a simpler version though... Let's just say I got used to conflict early on when I was still among the Kine. Later on I, uh, visited Europe in the '40s. A little after that, I rode the old roads as one of the Damned. Then I got older. Found myself seeing things differently and linked up with the Ordo Dracul. And here we are."

[Ellis Meadows]

"Continuing to engage with him at all once it became clear he wasn't acting in good faith, be it from malice or ignorance." Ellis says simply. "If I'm being offensive, I apologize, but I'm looking at it after years of Invictus school where you get your lips sewn shut for speaking out of turn, or someone cuts the muscles that let you control your facial expressions if your teacher thinks you can't be trusted well enough with that responsibility, or your have to remove your hand and have the bones bronzed and mounted on a plaque if you slap someone for getting under your skin." The Invictus here are way nicer, Ellis thinks. He isn't sure how good or bad that is yet.

"You could have ignored him after telling him to go away, maybe pulled out a phone and started playing a game. That would have been a massive slap in the face to his ego that he couldn't actually object to without looking insane." Ellis give Madcap a once over, checking over his general bearing and coming to a snap opinion. "I don't think playing dumb would have worked for you, you don't have the look for it. But if you did, I'm sure that would have played straight into his ego as well. Anyone with half a brain would have seen what you were actually doing, and if he objected it would have made him look the fool. And if he thinks you're dumb, so what? Do you really give a thought to what someone like him thinks of you?" He rolls his eyes, then leans in close.

Other than Madcap, you need 4 successes on a perception roll to overhear

"My outlook for court is very simple, Madcap. You always always always play nice with your enemies until you have the opportunity to pour bleach down their throat and watch them as they kick their heels while they die slowly. The Herald is his own worst enemy. Don't make it harder for him to slit his own wrists in front of the Prince by putting yourself in a spot where they can shift the blame to you because you raised your voice." He smirks. "Someone with honor who can stand up to someone like the Herald without flinching, after being badgered by him in open Court, is worth at least ten of him in my book."

Ellis leans back. "Long stories never bothered me. I won't push you to share what you want to keep private, but I like learning about people that are extremely unlike myself. I'm younger than you and I can respect the fact that you've seen more than I have. I'm not really concerned with historical accuracy, either. What's more important is how your life made you into the person you are."

You all know the drill! 4 successes on a (Wits + Composure) roll to hear the spoilered section.

  3 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2019-06-15 21:47:29		Ellis Meadows rolls 7 to sotto voce Man + Sub (10 Again)		1, 8, 1, 8, 9, 1, 3		3 successes

[Madcap]

Madcap shrugged.

"If I didn't want your opinion, I wouldn't have asked," he offered as Ellis offered apology, "You're Invictus, I ain't. All covenants might be welcome here, but we still abide under an Invictus Prince. Helps to get some perspective from a reliable source."

Simple tactics. If Madcap knew how to stay in the good graces of those he liked (or at least didn't hate) in the First Estate, it was all the more allies he could use to try and affect Change. Truth and directness didn't work here. Maybe it was time for subtler things as Ellis seemed to suggest. Madcap didn't like the idea, naturally, but he wasn't going to brush off the advice just because of his dislike for subtleties.

"Nah, I don't care about his opinion. I'm concerned about a greater thing," Madcap replied.

At Ellis' whispers, the Bruja chuckled. Darkly.

Then the conversation turned back to his origins.

"Eh, what the hell. I ain't ever been that private about my past, Ellis," Madcap replied, "Just depends on how long you 'youngins' wanna sit and listen."

Madcap smirked at his little jest as he looked to nothing in particular, rummaging through old memories.

"Well I was born in the midwest," he said, "Dad was a farmer, Mom was a mother. That's the way it was back then. Hit my teens during Prohibition and Dad started running moonshine for a little money on the side. I helped him out and we got a small team of runners going. I got big quick, so I became a bruiser. Near the end he got caught, so I ran it for a bit before it all became legal again. Wasn't any money in running it anymore."

"Now the '30's had the Depression as I'm sure you know," Madcap reminisced, "I survived though. Hit up some old contacts from my bootlegging days and linked up with some Italians. Small family. Just a couple rackets, but they needed a few heads knocked together. Decent pay, but the shit was repetitive, y'know? Still, their contacts kept me out of prison and I always had something to eat. Not a lot of folks back then could say that."

"Then, well. I got drafted," Madcap says casually, the exact details why was lost to him, but it happened, "Served in North Africa, Italy, and France. Germany near the very end. More importantly though, I met Carlos. We had some similar backgrounds and ideals. He liked to drink and fight a little more than I did. It got him discharged, but I stayed through the War. Ended up kinda liking it I guess. Out in the field, it was you, your boys, your gun, and your knife. There was a certain... purity to it. Might have been that it was more honest work than I was used to? Not sure."

"After I finally got home, it was almost like a daze," he says, "Transitioning back to civilian life ain't easy when you've been sleeping in the dirt for a long while. You get used to the smells, the sights, the struggle. All of it. Coming home and being expected to sit behind a white picket fence, get a wife, and a couple kids just seemed... weak. So I rode down to Arizona to see if I could find Carlos. He gave me an address when we were both in the service. We linked up along with a couple others. Ended up joining a biker gang, but that didn't last long. Lasted long enough for me to be called Madcap though and the name sorta stuck."

"Then Carlos got Embraced. He embraced me and a few others. We left the Booze Fighters and hit the road," he said, "That's how the Bruja started."

There was a long silence that followed. Scenes danced in Madcap's mind. Scenes of brotherhood, glory, freedom, and brutal attacks. Scenes of long, peaceful rides at night and burning rage. All of it in equal measure.

"The rest is history," Madcap finally said, his eyes hitting back to the Daeva, "Like I said, I got older. Started to think things through a bit differently. That led me to the Ordo Dracul."

[Ellis Meadows]

"A very adventurous life." Ellis could understand it. There was obviously a difference in scope, and time, and, quite frankly, breadth of experience, but Ellis approached an understanding of the core themes of isolation and seeking. The need to escape a life that wasn't what you wanted and pursue one that you wanted more than anything else?

While he wasn't so foolish to think that they were the same (if he was sure of anything, Ellis was sure that the life he lead would have done him zero favors as a Gangrel), there was more than simply fangs and hunger and a streak of viciousness that made them similar, Ellis thought.

"So what do you want, Madcap?" Ellis asks, eyes afire with curiosity. "I don't mean Dragon secrets," He brushes away the idea with a hand, his body language very clear that whatever esoteric secrets and insights about the Curse that the Dragons clutch to their chests in their hoard is, at best, only of a very minor intrest to him, and even then only it's something he knows all but nothing about. Whatever they are, they are immaterial to him. "I mean what do you want that you can't get studying in your chapterhouse? You come to Court for a reason. You live here, for a reason. What changed in your priorities?"

He has his suspicions.

Ellis is trying to get a read on what Madcap wants out of his requiem, based on what he's seen of the man, heard of him, and how he reacts to the question, even if he tries to stonewall him here.

  2 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2019-06-16 20:40:37		Ellis Meadows rolls 6 to Wit + Emp on Madcap (10 Again)		5, 3, 6, 9, 4, 8		2 successes

[Madcap]

A shrug was offered at the view that his life had been an adventurous.

"It was a life," he replied simple, "Got through it with a whole lot of fighting and a whole lot of blood. Luckily, it wasn't mine. Usually."

Then came the curiosity of his little Daeva companion.

"You haven't met many Dragons and engaged them deeply, have you, Ellis?" Madcap asked, though the tone was clearly rhetorical. "It ain't an insult, but if you had you'd know what I wanted already. The Ordo Dracul isn't a political organization or one centered around religious institutions. Most Dragons aren't interested in either. Our concerns are tied to our work. As is our wants and priorities. Point is, if I had a lot of wants beyond my studies, I'd make a poor Dragon and a poor Dragon I am not. I seek what all Dragons do. Change."

The usual gruffness of the Bruja gave way to a more analytical tone and demeanor, evidencing the fact that Madcap was not new to his Covenant. His demeanor was savage, but Madcap was still a scholar of sorts. All Dragons were, but too many seemed to dismiss that fact.

"Beyond that, what I want is what most Kindred do. Stability. Blood. A suitable Haven. I chose Sacramento because I was told it had these things," Madcap continued, "and a burgeoning Chapter to boot."

  1 success

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2019-06-16 22:15:10		Madcap rolls 4 to Hide His Feelings (Comp+Subterfuge) (10 Again)		2, 1, 9, 3		1 success

As the Bruja speaks, he again makes his attempts at stoicism. The pearls of his order were to be guarded closely, as were his own motivations. While he does manage it on the surface, Ellis (and others attempting to see through the facade and succeeding) sees slight changes in the mask here and there. For the most part, Madcap is being truthful, if guarded. His concerns and wants are strongly related to the aims of the covenant in which he is a part of, but he doesn't want to reveal too much. Given common knowledge, this is more likely the result of Ellis not being a part of his covenant than anything. Nonetheless, one deviation does occur. When Madcap mentions he had come to Sacramento seeking stability and blood, glints of disappointment and frustration hit his face. It seems the Bruja is not very happy with the current Praxis.

[Ellis Meadows]

Interesting. Not exactly what he had suspected, but not surprising.

"A noble calling, I am sure." Dragons were weird. Ellis wasn't talking down, obviously that Meant Something. But understanding weird esoteric philosophies were not a card Ellis had in his deck, as it were. "In contrast, my wants are not at all esoteric. I want a big fat bank account with enough zeros to choke a calculator, and the ability to enjoy the perks of possessing it." That of course included all the basic things most every vampire wanted, stability, blood, a nice haven. "I find that the First Estate provides the means to securing those things most handily."

"You want to trade numbers? I'm not someone you're going to want to call if it comes to putting boots on and stomping on someone, but sometimes a lighter touch is handy." It's not a bad thing having an Invictus on speed dial. It isn't exactly cheap, not when asking for a favor, but it's not a bad thing. And the best thing is that favors are a two way street.

And who knows, maybe Madcap doesn't want anything to do with the First Estate. Maybe he has a bank full of WW2 Nazi gold that pays his bills.

Still, no harm in putting the offer out there, is there?

[Madcap]

As Ellis ventured calling his pursuits noble, Madcap just nodded.

The Invictus did not truly understand the Dragons. How could he? That said, Ellis at least remained polite.

"That's understandable," he offered with a chuckle as Ellis stated his wants plainly, "We all have different aims."

There wasn't judgement in Madcap's tone. Joining the Dragons was something that took a particular person. Most Kindred didn't fit the model, but those who did varied greatly on their paths in life.

"I don't see the harm in it," Madcap says, responding to the offer to trade contact details, "Not often brought into things that require a lighter touch. They usually come along when someone else thinks a few nice words is gonna pull wool over my eyes."

As had happened with the Herald and his attempt to lessen the price for resolution.

"That said, I see the benefits," he said, "just as I'm sure you do."

Madcap would provide his phone number.

[Ellis Meadows]

"If we were all the same, we'd... well we'd probably all be Carthians, wouldn't we?" Ellis says as they trade numbers.

Ellis gives a sharp laugh. "Someone who tries to pull the wool over a wolf's eyes gets whatever they deserve, I think. Though, I doubt it will stop them from crying about it." He extends a hand to Madcap. "It's been a good conversation, Madcap. Washed a bad taste out of my mouth. Thanks."

[Madcap]

Madcap takes the hand and gives a proper, firm shake.

"Same here, Ellis. Good to see there's folks who know how to be civil," he said, offering the Daeva a small compliment, "Even if they're aware their conversation partner lives in a different world."

Alessandra wanted peaceful nights at Court? This is how she should instruct her Inner Circle to approach it. Even if Madcap had his doubts the Prince would shift her sponsorship of the Herald, it was small relief that some among her covenant understood how to converse those who did not exist in the structure of the First Estate. Where Jack attempted to skirt his attempted resolution with Madcap to his benefit, Ellis carried a simple, civil conversation and offered advice on how to deal with the ambitious little Lord in the future.

It allowed the Invictus a little more respect in Madcap's mind, but there were still other concerns. Nonetheless, those situations arose shortly after Ellis' arrival. He might have been Invictus, but he was uninvolved in the problems Madcap saw in the Domain. It wouldn't be smart to shun the suave Daeva simply because of his choice in covenant.

Especially when both seemed to share a dislike for a certain official.

[Ellis Meadows]

Ellis smiles. "One does one's best." And some people's best is simply... better.

The conversation having reached it's natural end, Ellis rises from the booth with a nod of respect for Madcap and returns to the main floor.

Ellis returns to the main thread