Rendezvous: Mr. Whitney and the Chevelle

[Lenora]

In the chill of fall, Sacramento again falls to the veil of night.

However, even as Autumn entrenches itself, the Kine do not rest easily as the nights inch ever longer. Throngs continue to push into the heart of downtown to imbibe and revel in the city's abundant nightlife, but, as always, it is the Nox that holds the greatest sway among those in the know. Still, though familiar regulars are glimpsed along the street, there is at least one new feature.

A low rumble announces its coming before the streetlights accent the smooth black shell of its exterior, alongside cream-white racing stripes. The rumbling beast is a 1970 Chevelle SS 454, a common enough car in the muscle scene, but among the modern club kids, the car still makes a statement. As the proudly American automobile nears the Nox, it slows to a crawl, slowing stalking alongside the sidewalk.

Within, one can even glimpse the driver, a feminine face silhouetted by shadow, though the intermittent light of the city bleeds through long enough to note a few key features: short, strikingly blonde hair, blue-green eyes, and bold, dark eyebrows.

Aiden Whitney

[Aiden Whitney]

The Chevelle wasn't the only new feature on the street. Aiden's slender form cut through the crowd, by the assorted kine, and perched under a light.

His eyes hungrily soaked up Lenora's ride. Though American muscle wasn't his cup of tea, Aiden still appreciated beauty on display. Cars like this were collectors items, and signs of status and taste. They took delicate and precise care to maintain.

Yet, even as he was appreciating the rolling artwork coming down the street the roaring of the Beast came. Red began filling Aiden's vision. Undead muscles began to tense in preparation for bloody murder. Then as fast as the rage came, it passed. Aiden breathed the tension out, and offered a wicked smile to Chevelle's driver.

Rather than wait for her to make it all the way to him, Aiden moved to intercept the slow rolling vehicle. A single hand reached out as if to touch the hood of the Chevelle, but instead it hovered just above it; sliding through the air to the outline of the car. When he came parallel to the to passenger window, Aiden leaned down and offered a wave to his Priscus.

[Lenora]

The brief ping of instinctual fear hits Lenora's Beast, but, when its source is seen, Lenora soothes the Beast within and offers Mr. Whitney a smile as she pulls the car to a stop.

She grants the Lord a nod and then signals him to get in with a cant of her head. The engine continues to run. It seems Lenora's words were truthful, this meeting would not remain stagnant in one place.

[Aiden Whitney]

"Now this is riding in style, Boss." Aiden said sliding into the Chevelle. "Have you had it since it came out or did you buy it more recently?"

A seat belt clicked into place, and the door brought to a close. Now safe from kine ears he could be more blunt. "In my experience, the First Estate usually goes for luxury models. Mercedes, BMW, Rolls Royce. Though, that last one I've always fond a little gawdy." Then again, Lenora wasn't part of the Invictus, was she? It was just how she was raised. This car still made a statement too. It was a muscle car after all. She could be declaring her strength, or something similar.

A curious glance is made towards the drivers seat.

[Lenora]

The interior featured rich, red leather. Lenora, for her part was dressed in more casual attire.

An olive pea coat paired nicely with a gray turtleneck and a pair of dark gray slacks. The attire was still dressy in a way, but still more casual than what she had done in court.

"Boss, hmm?" Lenora offers as Aiden slips inside, "Trending towards informality, Mr. Whitney?"

She held the look for a moment and then just smirked.

"Very well, given the circumstances it seems appropriate." The Chevelle began to pull away, pushing down the blackened streets of Sacramento.

"The car once served me during my time with my sire prior to my Embrace during my tenure of service," she answered, "However, I was only able to use it for a few short years before it sat in a storage unit for decades when my duties rarely allowed me to leave the Baroness' estate. Once I had attained my Embrace, it was restored as a parting gift."

A small chuckle emanated from Lenora's throat as Aiden spoke of luxury automobiles.

"There is nothing wrong with luxury, Aiden," she offers, "So long as one understands what they must endure to maintain it. It is rare for them to have the same feel though. When you sit behind the wheel of a vehicle such as this, you are easily reminded of the power under your command with every rumble and turn. Even when Mercedes, BMW, and Rolls-Royce manage that power, it lacks the same throaty purr."

A glance is leveled at Lord as she revs briefly at a stoplight to drive her point home.

"That said, I wouldn't say no to a Rolls-Royce Phantom," she said, "So long as my driver was loyal."

"You seem to occupy a middle ground. What do you drive?"

[Aiden Whitney]

It was stereotypical Ventrue for Lenora to speak so much, and yet say so little. No. That wasn't right. She had said much, but the important content came from the spaces between her words. The things unsaid.

"I don't have a preference towards formality or against. They're both just tools." Aiden met Lenora's smirk with his own. She hadn't corrected him, yet. "I'm just getting a feel for the rules of the road."

She had this car as a mortal. That meant they were close in age.

On her musings on muscle versus imports, Aiden nodded in agreement, but then held up a single finger. "Isn't half the fun of luxury and power getting to enjoy it? Why bother with a driver?"

That wandering finger retreated and Aiden held a hand to his chest. "Oh me? I don't drive anymore. Rather, not right now. Walking has worked just fine for a city this size so far." Lenora wasn't the only one who could leave things unsaid. It couldn't hurt to add a little mystery could it?

[Lenora]

Lenora smiled, keeping her eyes on the road as Aiden spoke.

"Indeed they are, but I would caution you against it when we are in the company of fellow Kindred," she said. That advice was free, "In those scenarios, it is prudent to ensure no offense."

"You assume by possessing a driver one cannot enjoy their machine?" she asked, "The experience is different, but no less enjoyable. Even so, my want for a driver is likely due to nostalgia more than anything."

Another look was offered to her fellow Lord before she expanded.

"I didn't see my first automobile until I was 10, Aiden. Even then, my family did not acquire one of their own until I was 15. There was a time they were far less common, particularly in the western frontier," All there you go, showing your age. "Back then travel over a long distance was different and, being of a certain wealth, my family owned a coach and employed a coachman. Given my father's view of driving as a more masculine activity, I didn't drive myself until I reached my 20's some years after his death, but by then I was already in Pennsylvania."

"I'm certain you could use the public transit at any rate should you need it," Lenora offered as she looked back to the road, "I assume you called someplace larger home once upon a time?"

[Aiden Whitney]

"I have no intention of showing up in public and embarrassing the family with a lack of etiquette." Aiden paused for a moment, and gazed out at some passing figure. "Actually, I could use some help there. This may not officially be an Invictus domain, but they use Invictus titles and most of the key players belong to that covenant. Their conventions are still something of a mystery to me." A hand was rolled through the air. "Perhaps there is some agreement we could reach, seeing as you are an expert?"

When Lenora addressed him by his first name, Aiden smiled. It was an encouraging sign. Would she treat him as an equal even if it was only in private? After all, how different were they? What difference was a few decades on a scale of centuries?

"Funny how stereotypes of masculinity and femininity change over the years." There was a chuckle. "You have big shifts. The 60s, 80s, now." The thought seemed to wander off.

"Me? I'm a Chicago native. Standard suburban mortal family; two parents, 2.4 children, college education. My unlife was largely spent in Detroit, though. I had a talent for making money make money, and the Lords there had a talent for spending it. After a number of years financing them I was embraced. The Ventrue in Detroit are rather special. Very tight knit, and family oriented. There's still the infighting and scheming that comes with being Kindred, but it's never at the expense of the clan. We were the Children of Midas..." There is another pause. This time it's almost sad. "Until a decade ago, when the economy collapsed and the party ended. We all scattered after that."

There was an almost imperceptible twitch in Aiden's head, and once again he was all smiles. "It's alright, though. Anything is an opportunity if you can find the right angle." Resilience was the name of the game.

[Lenora]

"Excellent," Lenora said as Aiden spoke of his common sense in public. His next statement though caused the Priscus' eyebrows to raise, though her eyes remained on the road, "You think me an expert? I'm flattered... but I remind you that I am not among the First Estate."

A glance is offered as the Chevelle pulls farther away from Midtown, making a turn off the main streets of central Sacramento and pushing north, towards the Sutter's Landing Regional Park.

"If you are concerned with titles, their conventions account three to their membership. One is a title of esteem, another a title of tribute, and, finally, their title of tribute," Lenora explained as her eyes returned to the road, "From what I understand, it's a bit complex, but my training under my sire was not related to the First Estate. It was related to general etiquette within our world. I was never considered for candidacy during my time in Philadelphia. Thus, there was no need to coach me highly on such things. What I can say is that many Invictus I have met seemed to have a preference for their titles of tribute when engaged in conversation, hence my preference for referring to Louisa von Kleist as the Baroness."

Pushing further along, the Chevelle was soon nearing the Sutter's Landing Regional Park, resting as it did near Sacramento's Industrial Center.

"What I can say is that the Invictus dislike the word 'my', as it is possessive. Referring to Her Majesty as my Prince, for example, is not endearing. It's an insult. As far as I can tell, the same goes for others as well," Lenora says, her eyes turning to the dirt roads at the end of asphalt, just past the nearby Sutter Landing Skate Park, "When in doubt, Aiden, do as I do. Engage your senses. Listen to what other people call them and then engage. However, if you're looking to enter their ranks, it would be prudent to seek out one of their membership for instruction."

As I intend to.

Lenora fell to certain silence as the Chevelle finally began to stalk along the dirt roads bordering the American River. Soon, she found a wide path leading to a secluded section of the shoreline, hiding the Chevelle behind a thick blanket of foliage.

"This will do nicely."

Killing the engine and the lights, the Priscus of the Lords would finally turn to Aiden, her body half facing him as an elbow pressed into the back of her seat for support. She offers a small chuckle.

"If you think that disparity is acute, you should consider how it was in 30's and 40's. And beyond," she said, "Of course, I had entered the Baroness' service by 1940. Thus, it was my good fortune to find a patron suited more closely to my taste. The alternative would have been... unacceptable."

The title Children of Midas seemed to be a nickname of sorts, likely related to a bloodline, but Lenora's occult knowledge was not expansive enough to know much.* Nonetheless, Lenora offered the man an empathetic look.

"My upbringing was much different. I was raised on a ranch in Montana in the early decades of the previous century. Schooling took me to Philadelphia and it was there that I met the Baroness," she offered, providing information in kind. Then came Aiden's saddened tone and Lenora offered an sympathetic look. Whether it was a loss of a sire or the loss of brethren due to financial collapse didn't matter, the wound still rang true to Mr. Whitney. "You have my condolences."

A slight smile perks up the corners of Lenora's mouth as the young Lord before her rebounds quickly. "You'll find that approach will serve you well... our state is not without its obstacles."

* - Per an earlier ruling in the Folsom plot (As well as the wiki I think), Kindred require Occult 3 to roll to recall in-clan bloodlines and Occult 4 for bloodlines not associated with their clan. As a result, Lenora will not roll to see if she knows about the Adrestoi bloodline, as her Occult is only 2

[Aiden Whitney]

Lenora's explanation of the Invictus conventions was met with a series of nods. "Thank you for the clarity, Lenora."

"Not to pry, but you said you were not selected to join the First Estate. Is that something you regret? Or are you enjoying the freedom of having no ideological master?" Aiden's voice was so nonchalant he could have been talking about the weather.

"Unacceptable?" A hearty laugh was given. "I daresay, given what I've seen, even an unacceptable patron would have proven no match for you. After all, you dispatched Thomas without much trouble. And with a patron, you'd know them far more intimately. You'd have more ammunition." Now, Aiden's smile morphed into something that could have been playful or wicked.

"I appreciate it." He simply nodded at Lenora's condolences. "I did not come to Sacramento to mope though."

At this point Aiden turned to face Lenora. "This is a good quiet spot. Far from anyone who might hear our devious plots." He batted imaginary claws at the air. "I'm teasing, of course. Mostly. My plots aren't devious. They're just a tad self-serving." As if that was any kind of news. Show Aiden a vampire that wasn't self-serving, and he'd show you a liar and fraud.

Now that they were settled Aiden prepared for the mutual interrogation that was about to take place. No doubt they'd be probing each other for areas of mutual interest and potential conflict. They were the newest arrivals of the domain, and in the same clan no less. The opportunity for collaboration or hostility was significant.