Night Chorus

[Lenora]

Lenora offers nothing on 'Mr. Clarke', as she is not aware of the man.

Jennifer's attempt to determine Alice's blindness is met with an amused smirk and a perked eyebrow, but the Lord says nothing.

"Power can breed complacency and comfort when one lacks vigilance or underperforms," Lenora offers, granting her piece on the frequency of Prisci and other titles changing hands, "Those who are able to retain their place are able to do so because they maintain their understanding and strength."

Lenora looks between the two women for some moments as she considers what she knows.

"Then it is my hope the two of you have - or soon will come to meet with Patience," she says, "She too is determined to ensure the security of your department. She is more than capable and I'm certain the three of you could easily entrench yourselves given time."

Lenora dismisses the a apology on Alice's part.

"Don't fret, Miss Hart, I take no offense," Lenora said, "I am well aware the privacy your department desires when it comes to your holdings. As for what has happened, the predominant concerns I feel are the vacancies in the company. The position of the President's PA is one such vacancy if I recollect, as is the company's... communications manager. I also have not seen the Head of Security since October, but he is a private sort. The company was pretty quiet in December, unfortunately, but I can say that my department was unable to meet for vote and I have not heard from them."

"In other words," she continues, "the company is greatly diminished even since my arrival, though I would venture to say it is smaller still since your previous tenancies here. There is risk, but also opportunity. Beyond this, I am not certain what you wish to know. Was there anything specific?"

[Jennifer Hazelton]

"Family is my most viral concern," She agrees with Alice. "- thank you for the invitation. I would love to see what has changed, and be brought up to date on our history. History is a hobby of mine.".
She considers Lenore and nods slowly. " It was more exciting when we were... Populated. " She chose. A few Nosferatu had made mistakes, however. Which was a reason that she had taken the Priscus position when she had.

" I spend quite some time with my position," She disclosed in confidence, in a whisper. "As Lady Notary."
It was good Notary was not a term masked by the masquerade. So many advertising she had seen for notary services. It would disclose her affiliation with the First Estate.

Her most pressing interest was the priscus, this Patience. She was of the second estate, so was she tolerated or supported by the prince? Seizing the Priscus position was how she had earned her rise to Lady. Yet if she was capable, there was no need for strife if the family was so small. Best to test if this Priscus was capable."I would like to have a gathering," She agrees with Alice. " I would like to meet with you and Patience. I am sure there is much to discuss. Has she been head of the family long?"
" I regret that we must speak so carefully. I wish that I had maintained my store. We could retire there and I could show you the blooms in season,". She looked to her cousin. "They smell divine, if you care to.". Care to smell, that was. More ought to be knowledgeable about the floral code in an Invictus city, and these two Kindred were very pleasant to speak with. " Has the head of security been capable?" She inquired. Her position as assistant to the Reeve had given her some curiosity. "It's a good sign that he can afford to be private. A stable city?". She inquired. Seems so many investigations had been happening before.

[Alice Hart]

Alice hums, the sound unnerving as it leaves her throat and exists in the air. The Lord showing her blue blood with the simple statement, Asa would have liked her, even as Alice wishes the words were of a more...ideological bent. "Then those who have survived and thrived amung Sacramento's trails, are surely a force to be reckoned with," A platitude maybe, but the sentiment is true enough, no matter what the Artifice of her Curse paints it as.

"I've had the pleasure of meeting Patience, she is..." the statement trails for a moment, A Nosferatu of the Second Estate, but she's not Gilroy. She's not Robert. "Blunt." she says, finishing a sentence that might not have needed it.

A nod, jerking and stuttering. "Ah, the annels, were caught in a flood. Whatever made the library was lost when most of our department took their leave before I should sure up everything in their absence." Regency for Gilroy, Tenancy for them, Court, attended by all. Then all the Nosferatu left, and the Deep Kingdom was no more. "I know the, then department head, asked for volunteers to gather the history of our Sacramento, some of those pages might still be salvageable." she tries to soften the blow, Alice remembered books, and pages and the very first time within the welcoming embrace of the Bleak Annels, she had no eyes to see. "Though of course there is myself, and Miss Greene, I'm sure there are others within the city who can, and might be persuaded to offer up those pieces of history that neither Miss Greene, nor myself remember, or have had access to."

That...wasn't quite the picture Ale painted for Alice. Had her Coterie mate wanted to soften the edges and bring Alice back into the fold nicely. Offering a nice picture to a women who couldn't see?

...or did Ale not know. Did she truly not realize how few were within her borders?

In all her time in Sacramento, the lack of a Reeve was never a good thing, to not see whomever was holding that position wasn't a positive sign. Preluding a disappearance or death.

Alice is grateful for the distraction Hazelton provides with her whisper. Even if she could be more prudent, but Alice isn't titled anymore, and allows for the slip to pass by without a reprimand. A haunt of the First and the titled one as well? Were Alice still in the habit of blinking she might have done so then. "In my own time here, our family has had a harder time within your club then what I've come to expect." she didn't know if it was modern Sacramento, or....well. Something in the water.

"I am unsure. When I returned to Sacramento after my," hmm, how to put her time away, healing and sleeping. Drifting in the pressure of the black. "coma. She was already department head. I believe there was no one else to take hold of the position when she did." which was like and unlike how Alice stood as her own as Priscus of the Nosferatu, where she took over while they were a Clan of two and stood as Asa's Seneschal also. Relinquishing the former, only when a competent Haunt came to call, and to abide by His Majesty's Laws.

"Smell divine? Oh, yes, blooms of all sorts are sweet to the nose, more so now, then Before." A title, and a store. My, Hazelton was something. Maybe she could be something again. Alice knew the family needed it. "Perhaps we can walk?" it might not do much to hide a conversation, but it would make eavesdropping harder.

[Lenora]

"Ah," Lenora offers in a lower tone, her smile widening as Jennifer subtly relays her affiliation, "My... mentor serves as a Commissioner in Philadelphia." Another title of the First Estate that didn't need to be heavily censored. "I myself lack her affiliations, but I am not without loyalty. Is it your hope to return to the same duties?"

Another chuckle sounds at Alice's description of Patience's demeanor, but Lenora would offer nothing further. When the question was broached about the Bishop's tenure as Priscus, Lenora only smiled. She knew when Patience had risen, of course. She was standing next to the Herald during her declaration, after all. Nonetheless, it seemed the question was asked of Alice rather than herself and Lenora had no need to intrude on Haunt business.

As the conversation turned to the good Sheriff, Lenora pondered for a moment.

"So it would seem," Lenora remarks at the question of stability, "If there has been anything that his office could not handle, we have not been made aware. However, it's worth noting that the security captain has credited much of our peace to his predecessor. And there is a rather murky matter of testing security, but I am certain that will be addressed by the President should it become an issue."

As the Blind Doll suggests a walk the Priscus nods.

"Certainly, Ms. Hart, that seems a pleasant idea," Lenora said, "After all, you will find I'm quite free tonight. So long as I get home before sunrise, I am quite content."

There was some humor in Lenora's voice.

[Jennifer Hazelton]

Then those who have survived and thrived amung Sacramento's trails, are surely a force to be reckoned with
“I agree with you, Madame Hart. A great deal of interesting dancing creates a more experienced dancer.” A sloppy metaphor, but among the Kine, what could one do? Ah they could walk.
She had heard of another title before. That was interesting, too, Miss. These two were clearly beyond Manumission. She decided to adopt her own title for those she deemed worthy of respect, and if some were curious, let them ask.
“Yes, let us walk.” She agreed with the other two. “Oh no, the library?”
She was distressed. She had never heard of the library before this. Yet she had spent six or seven years combing the library of the Alder Notary, learning as much as she could. To lose knowledge was horrible. Devastating. In some areas, the elders would hold the history for newcomers. They needed knowledge.


Jennifer turned over the new information about the Prince and head of her family. Curious. She would need to learn more. Yet had she tipped her hand too far as it was?

"Thank you, I look forward to meeting her."
Jennifer's mind turns over the priscus' comment. She made a point to declare her intentions with the widening of eyes, the tile of her head towards Lenora Greene to indicate interest. "Testing security?" She repeated, realizing that her small motions were of no help to Ms. Hart.
”Madame Greene did you say 'testing security'? Where?" She verified that she had understood correctly.
Her mind filled of the Insurgents. The bomb threat in Elysium. The phone that could have been a switch, but was cleared by the authorities. Overhearing the Bride speak to the then - sheriff Connery about how they were sitting atop of the bomb, and firing off the message in the hopes that they scattered from atop of the bomb in time. It had been a horribly stressful time. Her coterie mate, Ricardo de Reyes, as well as the one charged to teach her had been near. To say nothing of the lemon loving Kindred, for whom Jennifer had made an embarrassing gaffe towards, yet Jennifer had grown fond of. This member of the Prince's court had clearly been the primary target, as important to the running of the Domain as she was.

[Alice Hart]

Alice bows her head, agreeing even as the movement stutters. Like her limbs as she arranges herself to walk with these kindred, Lyssa falling behind them. "Yes, I'm afraid so." Alice could remember Gilroy's order, and how the Clan set about filling in the blanks of the history of the Domain, but for her unlife, Alice cannot remember who lead the project. Was it...no it wasn't the cousin with the knives, nor Robert. Was it the lawyer? Maybe. "But, we do have the time to recompile those notes, recover what might have been missed by neglect and time. And, one of us could always venture to the BDN and talk to Miss Torsione," she says, amazed at herself. Was it just this most recent time in Torpor that had shed her of some hesitancies? Or was this something she had been growing towards before then?

"True, our President is an active force, unlike other CEOs hiding in their towers." then a nod, just as jerking as the others, "I...am curious as well Miss Greene." mind recalling many things and stories. Of the Nox and what could happen within those Elyssian walls.

[Lenora]

Lenora's smile faded lightly as the talk turned to the loss on knowledge, granting the Haunts she walked with a sideways glance.

"History is often lost to darkness," she says plainly before glancing to Miss Hazelton more directly, "Without written records, it becomes an inevitability. There are a few voices who could aid the library in its restoration. All they need is a chronicler to hold the pen."

A smile and a wink to the serpent-voiced Haunt.

You want to re-establish yourself, no?

What harm was there in putting herself in the good graces of a member of the First Estate who formerly held good standing? That advice was free, though Lenora doubted Jennifer needed it. Alice herself was also proving useful this evening. Mentioning the BDN meant one thing: Twist. Thus, the name Miss Torsione was committed to memory.

"I'm afraid I only know what I've heard," Lenora said, "During the company meeting in November the meeting's facilitator, Ms. Wood, was approached by a... free agent within the company who told her he had tools nearby to test the security of the Lounge. After he left, Ms. Wood informed Ms. Torsione he was working with the security captain once the latter approached with an air of concern."

A small sigh.

"Naturally, I desired resolution to my concerns as well, so I asked Ms. Wood if the President or others knew about the security captain's desire to utilize the free agent," Lenora affirmed, "I even offered my own assets to assist in the payment for further alterations to security, if such alterations were approved by the Prince. I was told the Lounge was considered highly secure and no changes were planned. However, the question of whether the President had been informed of the agent's employ was never answered. I was told the matter was not one for me to know in detail... In essence, my lack of position was leveraged against me."

"Nonetheless, I publicly relayed my opinion about a free agent being utilized by security for the testing of our systems as concerning," Lenora said, finally nearing her conclusion, "Hence the recent tension between Ms. Wood and myself. Regardless, I have no regrets. Given the reactions of the Domain's officials, the Prince included, the entry of the free agent into the security captain's agenda was a surprise, particularly seeing as he is not associated with the security team in a formal capacity."

[Jennifer Hazelton]

She nods during Madame Greene's speaking of a library. She gives her a thoughtful look and much consideration.
"We should talk about the library sometime, perhaps, Madame Hart? I would be curious about your own recollection, if you don't mind me recording it to paper for historys sake. Perhaps we could secure it safely in the area you mentioned. We could try and rebuild it, a bit."

"This offer of help was unprompted?" The Nosferatu asks Miss Greene.

She considers Lenora for a few moments of quiet, thinking of the information that the Priscus offered.
"Tsk, tsk," Jennifer rasped. " - as a former White Hat, I can attest that testing security by trusted individuals is a good means to test for complacency. As you mentioned," She nods to Miss Greene. "- complacency at the gathering place could be catastrophic. Yet a free agent?" Her voice slithers over the subject. It is distasteful. Her face is set in concentration. She is comfortable with quiet for a moment, considering.
"I wonder if any one verified if he is working with the Security Captain? Not that any one was intentionally dishonest." She assures that she does not overstep her authority. Yet they are Kindred. Kindred lie.

[Jennifer Hazelton]

She nods during Madame Greene's speaking of a library. She gives her a thoughtful look and much consideration.


She considers Lenora for a few moments of quiet, thinking of the information that the Priscus offered.

[Lenora]

The cordial smile of the Lord twitched lightly as Hazelton asked her question, Lenora's quiet pride becoming apparent.

"The offer of my assets you mean? It was indeed unprompted," she said, the ease of her tone signifying her sincerity, "It is my understanding that the President sees matters of security as a company-wide concern and it is the expectation that all do their part to assist the endeavors or the good captain's investigations. The offer was my attempt to contribute, though I have also informed the captain that should he need access to my network for security reasons, I will facilitate his access without compensation. I admit though that this good will would not extend into his personal ambitions beyond his office."

A nod is offered.

"Well said, though it was not the testing itself that concerned me so," Lenora replies, "Forgive me if I was unclear. My concern lies predominantly with the individual selected and his lack of affiliation with security. If you knew Mr. Kind, I feel you would understand. He is a man of suspicious values and has grated against the President's authority."

Lenora grants a slight shrug as Hazelton ponders the possibility of unintentional dishonesty.

"Alas, I cannot say, Miss Hazelton. As I've said, I know only what I have heard," she admits, reminding the assembled Haunts of her previous declaration, "All I can say with a certainty was that Mr. Kind signaled a desire to test defenses in the Lounge, the President and Miss Troise were concerned, and that, following Kind's departure, Miss Wood stated he was working with the captain. What you suggest is indeed possible, but, having been ousted from the dialogue, I cannot say for certain. However, Miss Wood did suggest she and Miss Troise meet - privately - to discuss the matter. I know not if that meeting has occurred."

A pause is allowed for the Haunts to digest her admission.

"I freely admit that I have not looked into the matter myself," Lenora adds, "Given Miss Wood's response, I felt it necessary to avoid such investigation. My place here is becoming more secure as the months tick by, but I do not have the authority or good will to combat Miss Wood should she desire to dismantle my burgeoning establishment."

Then a revelation hits her eyes and Lenora's head tilts to the Blind Doll.

"Of course, I mean no disrespect, Miss Hart," she offers, "I may disagree with the ambiguity of the situation's resolution, but I do not bear Miss Wood any ill will. She has done well in her capacity, though it seems we may often be at odds. Perhaps she feels my debate is a signal of desire for her station? Would it be possible to relay a message to her that this is not the case? My ambitions lie elsewhere."

Alice Hart