The Chapter House Tour

[JC Smith]

JC smiled politely at Horatio’s words. Of course, there was power. Of course, Dracula had a mythical embrace. Of course they weren’t affiliated had had no interest in the other covenant. Of course… there were no horrific experiments. He could imagine himself as one of the unfortunate black airmen inflicted with syphilis without their knowledge. No recruiter would ever admit to such things. Rather, he watched Dirt Nap’s reactions more closely. And listened to the things between the nice words. Transcendence, Eastern approach, still debated, his god, self inflicted, as much as one can be.

JC wasn’t sure how much Quilz actually knew but from a political point, there were some conflicts in his words. To mention God at all brought the Crone in conflict. To say covenant secrets held no interest would anger any of the aligned, while be blatantly false. JC knew hardly anything of any secrets and he wanted to know them all. He couldn’t imagine anyone not wanting that. If for nothing else, than to know your enemy. Yet maybe that was the Beast influencing him. Or, if he was being honest, his time dealing with government.

“But where’s the proof?” he asked. Not unkindly, or even with too much suspicion. “The powers of the blood are many. Not needing to feed as you age? That could be faked. I've no idea how old either of you are. Growing hair? A simple shape change from night to night.” Maybe? He couldn't say for sure. He just knew changing forms was possible.

He gave a wry smile “Don’t worry,” he stated “Hard science isn’t my specialty.”

As if changing subjects JC began to move about the space and between the Kindred that surrounded him “I’m more interested in house. What’s it like to live here? How does it feel?” He paused for almost less than a second “You invited me to stay.” It wasn’t a question, though what he said next was and it was again directed at Horatio “How would you feel if I did? He waited for a response. Eyes were still mostly on the head of the dragon. Was the offer genuine? Or if JC resided in the mansion was he just traveling farther into the lizard's gullet.

If I stay

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2020-10-05 01:52:35	JC Smith rolls 7 to If I stayed Wits+Empathy (1s Subtract)	7, 5, 10, 9, 10, 7, 8	4 successes

[Dirt Nap]

Dirt Nap nods in agreement, even endorsement at several points in Horatio's speech and looks gratified that they apparently agree on so much.

"It's generally not for someone who's new to the condition. One of the main things that sets it apart from other the thinks you get from another Covenant, is the Torpor. Anything else you might learn to do, you can forget. A Change is forever. You might forget the why and how of it, but the result is with you forever." Dirt Nap's tone is one of warning and cautions rather than pride and bragging about this quality of the Dragon's Coils.

[Horatio Quilz]

Horatio smiles at JC's comments. "The proof you ask? Very well, would you take to a friendly wager then? In next few months, I shall provide for you evidence, if it is sufficient to your personal inner jury you shall join our small chapter here, but if it is not then you shall live here for as long as you want with no attachments, no recruiting, only basic house rules/etiquette to follow."
Horatio nods to the rest and agrees with Dirt Nap on the torpor element. "Exactly, the change stays with you. A hard science it is not unfortunately, we are dealing with the supernatural after all."
Horatio changes gear for a moment. "I lean more towards the Arahat transcendence camp personally, it is influenced by Buddhism. A good many of the sworn of the axe are in this camp. The sworn are like officers, and the axe is the more martial branch of the order, guardians, soldiers, bodyguards and scholars all rolled into one."
Horatio stands up and waves a hand in a gesture of showing. "Well, how about we start with the tour while we answer that."
Horatio starts with the first level, leaving out the room and heading to the kitchen. "My feelings on you staying is an interesting question, I offered you a place to stay and of course I am going to try and recruit you but the offer to stay is there. If you want to stay that is fine, if not that is fine too, know that I will try to recruit you as you stay until it is clear that it is a firm no or you choose another covenant. As you can see we have an adequate kitchen."
He opens the fridge showing a decent amount of dog friendly food, and there are some kitchen appliances on the counters. "Personally, I would love for you to stay, it would liven the house up some. This is the laundry room."
It is a run of the mill big house laundry room, storage, table for folding, storage, equipment for cleaning clothes all present. "If another unaligned shows I will offer the same. I know how hard it is without a backing to start in a domain. When they make their choice they can move on or if they stay unaligned then I guess they can stick around until they get their own place, depends on them."

Horatio heads for the stairs to show the second floor, but stops to look to Dirt Nap to see if he had a opinion or wanted to add to the tour.

Sorry for the delay folks

[JC Smith]

His smile was a bit sad. Horatio was really pushing and didn’t seem to get the joke. “Again, I’m not a hard science guy but I'll decline for now since I don't really know the covenant's culture and I’d say you might have a slight conflict of interest.” Wit and banter was all well and good (and kind of fun) but he had the feeling it was the wrong approach. Feel followed the Mehket through the house, listening to what was said as well as observing where everything was. When they got to stairs he finally spoke.

His tone was still nonjudgmental but a bit more firm. “I feel like we may be having slightly different conversations Mr. Quilz. So, I’m going to try to clarify. Right now, I feel like your primary reason for inviting me was for recruitment. Which is fine but I’m a bit confused about it. Even assuming Dirt Nap told you about me, you barely know me." Not his motivations, not his politics, and certainly not his history. "Why do you want to recruit me? Why do you feel I’m a good fit for the covenant? Why do you think I would be happy in the Order? Because right now it feels like your reason for trying is the single fact that I am unaligned, given you said you would make the offer if any others showed up.”

“It feels indiscriminate, suspicious, and even reckless. Broad recruitment tactics do not, for me, feel like apolitical action by a covenant dedicated to changing the inner self.” It was the type of thing you did when you wanted to swell your numbers with regard for quality of the conscript. And that normally meant high turn-over such as being fired, quitting, or being killed, at the lowest levels. Where he would be if he joined “Why do you feel you need to be enlisting at all?” Sacramento's population had high turn over as it was. He' been here only a couple months and he could already see that.

[Dirt Nap]

Dirt Nap moves along, not lagging but not crowding. Horatio is the one taking he lead here. Dirt Nap had not, actually mentioned anything in particular about J.C. to his superior, or even considered recruiting him. Horatio had made no bones coming at this like a soldier. It made sense he was eager to add to the ranks.

Dirt Nap's own approach to recruiting tended to seem more like trying to actively discourage a body from joining, emphasizing the danger of trying the Coils and such. Since that was at odds with what his superior seemed to be about, Dirt Nap kept it to himself.

So far, J.C. was asking questions, and asking them to his superior, so Horatio wasn't necessarily doing that badly. Even if in Dirt Nap's opinion, J.C. wasn't really experienced enough in just being what he was yet to really understand Changing into something else. Much less wanting it enough to risk ending himself unintentional-like.

[Horatio Quilz]

Horatio drops the sales act/recruiter act before he speaks again with a smirk. "Exactly! How about you stay and find out." Horatio pulls a key out his pocket and tosses it to JC. He turns and walks up the stairs. "Also, don't move Daemon's bowl he gets grouchy about it and will not shut up about it if you do. I have the room next to the library, pick any you want, if you want to stay." Horatio goes into the library, makes a gesture and then picks up some old looking books before sitting down. "If you want to stay, that's fine. I am not that great at this recruiting thing so I'll just stop, have the room, learn what you can, then make a decision."

He opens a book on the table in front of the chair. "Rebuilding actually, and you have to start somewhere. Figured it would benefit you mostly though, help you learn about and study this condition of ours. The Egyptians were onto something you know, there are correlations, mentions to our condition in the old texts. The separation of the soul into parts, really is one I think." Horatio points to a page in the book and turns it around for JC to see. "Ba is the personality of the soul, I believe we still contain that part, along with some others, but something is missing since everything/most things are muted." Horatio shrugs and sits back into the chair. "Use the library how you want, my offer for room still stands, it was genuine. I am going to go watch some netflix, if you decide against staying leave the key with Dirt Nap or by the door." Horatio gets up and heads out to his room after waiting for an answer.

[JC Smith]

JC nearly fumbles when Horatio unexpectedly tosses the keys, clutching more out of instinct than anything else. He remained a little stunned as he follows into the library. He listened to the head Dragon’s answers, finding them to still be fairly lacking in substance. Yes, the lure of knowledge and power was interesting but the Circle and the Lance also claimed insights into their condition. For Quilz maybe that was enough, JC thought as he bid the Mehket goodbye as they left to watch Netflix.

He circled around the table slowly, idly glance at the book before closing it quietly and looking up to Dirt Nap with one eyebrow quizzically raised.

“So?” he asked simply.

[Dirt Nap]

Dirt Nap returns J.C.'s questioning look with an amiable expression and a soft chuckle.

"We all got real good hearing, you know. Anything you want to ask me, best assume you're asking him too. Of course I'll speak freely--pretty much--if you do want to ask me anything." Dirt Nap offers. "I'll tell you for free I don't subscribe to exactly the same perspective on souls, but I don't claim to know I'm any more right on my ideas neither."

"Or if you just want to hand me the key and head out. Your choice, J.C."

[JC Smith]

JC’s single laugh was part sigh. “The questions I asked before still stand. Why recruit; do you think I’m a good fit; would I be happy?” Though to be honest, he wasn’t that interested in asking too many more questions. He was the one they were trying to recruit after all and he wasn’t going to do all their job for them.

[Dirt Nap]

Dirt Nap chuckles, "Well." He says. Then he doesn't say anything at all for long minutes.

Suddenly, as if he hadn't been silent and still as a stone for entirely too long for a normal conversation, Dirt Nap says, "You heard what my superior said. I won't contradict him. Our Covenant is clear and serious when it comes to the chain of command."

Another pause, and then Dirt Nap says, "I can say that for myself, I wouldn't have thought to recruit you at all. Not that you wouldn't maybe find it a good fit. You like to use your mind, and you got some curiosity about your condition. It's just you seem to me like when the Army recruiters show up at a high school, trying to interest kids to young to drink or shave."

Dirt Nap shakes his head. "I don't mean no offense to you, J.C. I have recruited a body into the Dragons before, and they tend to have thought about it a long while, and I tend to try to discourage them, not the other way around. The truth is, the Dragons are about wanting to learn how to Change, permanent like, and wanting it more than to keep walking around, if you catch my meaning. If you know you want to Change yourself, more than you want to keep existing, if it comes to it, then that's when I would say you might be ready to join up. It shouldn't be an option compared to the others. It should be the only hope left for something you'd prefer to die rather than give up on."

Dirt Nap seems lost in thought. Then he says, "For me, it started off with the Frenzy. I learned there might be a way I could Change, where I would have control, would never have to lose control like that again. I learned that by trying for tha Change, I might 'die'. It was worth it to me." He says.

"Then it was the blood. I learned I could maybe Change to never have to feed on anything but animal blood, and not stay a stunted runt for the weakness of it, and never have to feed on stronger blood no matter how long I was around."

"I was able to go through those Changes. Now, it's a long ways off, but there's a chance...I might be able to see a sunset or sunrise again. That's something I am willing to risk dying for."