Johnathan Kowalsic updates the Prince

[Seryna]

Miss. Kowalsic has reached out to the gangrel Prince's Ghoul, making arrangements for the Nosferatu to meet with the Gangrel at the Prince's convenience. At appointed time Mr. Kowlasic walks forward with confidence, striding towards the Prince's office. A step behind him, his head on a swivel as he appears to be evaluating for danger, is a man that emits no Beast. He carries an expensive briefcase. The man is Black, stands at 6'2'' and wears an outdated, but expensive, reinforced suit in gray, with a blue dress shirt.
The press of a Predator rolls out to challenge the other Kindred within, for Mr. Kowalsic's Beast is formidable (BP 4) Mr. Kowalsic wears a fine suit, the shirt the color of kelly green and the suit a deep grey. The tie bar is expensive and created with what appear to be precious stones - demontoid garnet in green. One must dress their best when meeting with a Prince.

Mr. Kowalsic is a valued member of the city, having been here long enough to earn a reputation as a defender of the Masquerade. You know that Mr. Kowalsic is a valued member of the First Estate. The rumors you have heard about Mr. Kowalsic, of the line Nosferatu, had been passed about and occasionally in conflict with one another for some time. It is said that he has killed someone to protect the Masquerade. That he has an army of ghouls under his command. One Unaligned who passed through insisted that he heard Mr. Kowalsic was recognized for his good deeds. Yet the departed Mr. Kelly whispered that he’d heard the problem had been dealt with – brutally. What could be true? Certainly, one of these has to be an over exaggeration or outright lies.

The man with no Beast steps in front of Mr. Kowalsic to knock politely upon the Prince’s office door.

[Alessandra]

The office door opens to a formidable looking man, who steps to the side after sizing the two up. When they enter, he looks to Ale who nods and he picks up some folders and leaves, closing the door.

In the center of the room was a desk that was a rich dark mahogany. It was large enough for her to work on multiple things, but not too large to overshadow her.

The butterflies were placed here and there, adding her own unique style to the room.

On the desk was the standard items on it, papers, small lamp, a computer. There was also a tall glass dome. Beside the glass dome was another one, this one held the same brightly colored butterflies, but had a darker, sinister twist to it. There was a skull in this one, with the butterflies placed artfully around it. Another skull with butterflies on it was placed on a shelf behind her.

There wasn’t really art on the walls. But there were shadow boxes placed around the room with various colors of pinned butterflies. Some blue, some green and some a mixture.

Playing softly from speakers placed around the room was Beethoven.

The wall behind the seating area had a painting hanging, The Young Martyr, a small light hanging above it. Illuminating it softly.

Two new chairs sat in front of the desk, Italian made and a deep shade of brown. There was a seating area was set in one of the corners. Which had two chairs and a couch around a coffee table. There were lamps on that offered a soft and comfortable glow, nothing too bright.

The Savage stands as her Beast wrestles with wanting to end this challenger where he stood. But as she ignores it, a friendly smile appears, “Good evening Mr Kowalsic, please,” gesturing to the chairs in front of her desk, “have a seat.” For the evening, she wore a real leather skirt paired with a shirt shirt and black blazer.

[Seryna]

"Thank you, Your Grace." Mr. Kowalsic bows his head in respect. He moves to the indicated chair and poises above it, waiting for the Prince to seat herself. When she does, he takes his seat. Mr. Kowalsic makes a small pinching motion with his thumb and forefinger and the man with the case smoothly moves to assist. The presumed ghoul unlocks the case and withdraws two plastic sleeves with some papers inside, passes them to Mr. Kowalsic with lowered eyes. Mr. Kowalsic accepts and turns his hand, his palm towards the doorway. The man in the fine, outdated, suit then closes the case and withdraws unobtrusively to the exterior of the hall… Waiting to be of service, but not annoying his betters.

"As I mentioned, I have two things to tell you. I picked up on a string of deaths is the first matter.
The second should be for Invictus ears only, in my opinion. We should control the information. Rafael Pope is the Kindred occultist who was with both the Lancea Sanctum and the Crone, who is reputed to know secret rituals and important information about each! This nefarious bloodsucker was some kind of cult leader back in his nights. Stole mystic secrets from the Sanctified and the Acolytes alike and eventually went into hiding — in torpor — back in the '30s or '40s. But his hiding spot was lost. "
He delivers this bomb shell with raised eyes, indicating the unique intel.
"He was accumulating quite a treasure trove of information, secrets that these Covenants likely prize as jealously as we Kindred of Quality guard the Blood Oaths of the Invictus. Pope was accumulating a lot of power. The Ordul Dracul would likely see him as a Wyrm onto itself. The Crone... well, it would certainly boost their power and prestige if they find him first. Yet I have what I think is the only link to his location!"

He assures, very proud that he has ferreted out what Kindred have searched for over the decades.

"I have Miss. Kowalsic running down the details, she should be able to appraise us tomorrow evening. I am wrapped up in tracking down a potential poacher who I heard has absconded with a sensitive painting, and cannot participate in Pope. All my resources are involved in getting that painting into Kindred hands, and pressuring the police department regarding these dropping bodies."

His tone is grave, clearly feeling that this was a big bit of news. It might shake up the Domain if the Covenants started competing and partaking in underhanded maneuvers with one another to race to Pope first!

“I apologize for the nature of delivery regarding the dropping bodies. In ideal times, I would have done so privately, but I wanted to observe the crowd to see the reactions of the news.” He states to the Gangrel Prince as he opens the first plastic sleeve, which keep the papers, paper clips, clippings waterproof and removes the chance a page might fall out of an open manilla file folder. He sets the entire lot on his side of the desk and gently presses it to the neutral area of the desk, where the Prince can reach the lot of paperwork and slide it to her area. He does not presume to encroach on the Prince’s ‘personal area’ side of her desk.
“This is the entire lot that I received from my police contacts. I have copies, these are yours. The first packet here is notes from the police and coroner detailing the deaths, I will summarize so you don’t have to read.”
That was his job, to keep the menial and boring aspects from bogging down the Prince’s day.
“Page one starts with some vague notes of the first scene and a copy of the final page of the coroners’ report of the first death at the Wranglers Bar.”
There are no transcribed notes from the coroner or observations by detectives, this is just two pieces of paper. The coroners’ report is clearly from an official document, with sections typed in.

“This begins with the death of a local man at the Wrangler bar. He was found in the lavatory, no blood found on the scene. No witnesses heard any violence, and two few men were seen in the vicinity by the bartender and a waitress. A short, compact man; a taller man with dark hair and a beard. This was reported so close to the time of death that lividity had not yet set. Cause of death, blood loss. No defensive wounds or trauma noted.
The second death is that of a homeless woman. Note the blood loss and mention of some blood on the scene. I’ll summarize – it is presumed that the body was killed elsewhere and relocated due to there not being enough blood at the scene. There are no human sized bite marks. The police interviewed two homeless people, who were antagonistic to authority. There is mention of a woman, but nothing supernatural.”
Nothing that hunters would pick up on.

“The next death is five days after that. In this case the body was reported by someone known who gives a statement to the officer. That’s the fourth page – just notes that the body was found 10 minutes before, and a male was seen walking away. A young man found at the cemetery. The presumption is the same – not enough blood on the scene to account for the blood loss, it is assumed that the body has been dumped.”

"I had some of my ghouls interview the witnesses to the homeless person and the bartender at the Wrangler bar and have what I believe is a workable likeness that the victims were fed on by two Kindred of our domain. From what I can tell, they took all precautions one expects."
He sets the second file on his side of the desk. “These are copies of what Priscus Durant offered up in Court.” His tone is clear, he claims no responsibility for whatever is in these files. The files have been moved into a clear plastic envelope, just like the documents Mr. Kowalsic has brought.
He pauses now, having given broad strokes of the situation. He looks to the Prince with keen interest and leans forward very slightly, indicating that he is attending her words closely. He holds himself with confidence of a man whose been here investigating these potential breaches and whatnot before, its’ old hat.

[Alessandra]

Once seated, she quietly observes the interaction between him and his Ghoul.

“I hope you will forgive me, but I didn’t ask how you wished for me to address you.” Without him being introduced by another Invictus, she was going blind.

When the Ghoul had moved on, her guest had her full attention. “If you feel the second should be for Invictus ears only, I can respect that and will see to that.” If it was Invictus only, so be it. A pen was picked up and the name written down with notes on the side, “With both? While not uncommon, it’s not heard of very often.” So he had secrets of both. “Lost?” well, all Kindred in Torpor would prefer it that way. At least without a well trust and blood bound Kindred.

Eyebrows raise at his words, “You have? Excellent!” were they supposed to find this guy? Burn him? Bring him back?

“I look forward to hearing the details. But I must ask, what are we to do with the details? Is his body needed? Are his ashes needed?” because knowing what was wanted out of this was key. She could do both, but others typically have a preference. "If I may, what is so special about this painting?" what could she say, she was curious. It was art, she liked art.

“I cannot be of help with the police, that is not within my particular field of expertise. But I do know some Kindred within the Domain that might be able work their magic.” Police tended to not like her.

“I would have preferred privately as well, but I understand and respect the reasons.” Sometimes it helped root out potential issues. Watching the papers be placed and begins to pick them up, dark eyes looking them over. “Grazie.” And when he mentioned summarizing, she lowers the paper, to focus on him and his words.

If she could sigh, she would have. Blood loss without trauma or wounds was not good. It caused suspicion and could cause problems.

While her face remains neutral, her jaw was set. This was unsettling.

“Perhaps my men should interview these witnesses. Not saying they could get anything else from them, but I have some pull in the mortal world.” A quick glance at the folders, a long finger nail tapping as she thought, “And no one is that careful, there is always something left behind. Perhaps something that only Kindred eyes can see.” Leaning back, she steeples her fingers in front of herself, “Are there any connections between the victims? Even the smallest connection could give us a direction. Even Kindred have a type, nothing is completely random.”

[Seryna]

"Mr. Kowalsic suits me fine, your Grace." He replies with a nod of respect. "I do not enjoy any titles of function." He seems to hang a hat on the 'yet'. Perhaps he has ambitions. "My apologies for not clearing that up."

"Mainly my concern lies with the fact that the Circle of the Crone and the First Estate are going to be in conflict over this. He could likely give the Circle a great deal of information, power - and those elusive secrets from the Lancea Sanctum as well. I would hate to cause distress between the Court officers. My idea was to have my childe assist a small group of loyal officers to go find him... and hide him better. Then we can ensure no one else can find these clues that I have unearthed, and dig him up."

"Eh, the painting is a mistake on my part. I foresee myself handing out boons before this is over." He sighs. "I let my pride get ahead of me. I made a mistake in public and fed. I had been attacked by this miserable wretch whom I caught poaching. Melanie Dunn. She keeps sneaking in here, trying to gain followers or contacts."

His calm demeanor appears incensed briefly.
"The wretched childe wasn't taught properly. Her Sire didn't get Permission, I took care of it. It was some time ago and it happened when actual important Domain matters occured. The wretched beast acts as though she has something out for me personally and keeps trying to set up pitfalls. A photographer took a picture of my mistake, and he shows his paintings at galleries. I think she placed a photographer on me to follow me, now that I am calm enough to rationally think it through. "

He shakes his head ruefully.
"I am quite embarassed by the ordeal. I shall do everything to protect the Masquerade, I assure you. I asked some trusted Kindred to go track down the mortal, get the painting. I sent some ghouls to go find Melanie and scare her out of town - or help get the painting. Whatever happens first. The most embarassing mistake is I may have... tried too far with Mr. Heinrich."
A big sigh, notable as Kindred did not need to.
"I suggested that someone else had been the culprit. Hopefully I can slam that shut and get ahold of him before he tells anyone else. And rectify my mistake with boons and...some embarassment on my part... to soothe any injured parties.

I shared a lot of difficult information there, so I understand if you have... strong words for me. I listen with humility, humbled, your Grace."

A pause. He did not want to address the other important parts that she had disclosed as yet. Not when he needed to hear her thoughts on what she had just learned.

[Alessandra]

The Savage nods, “No need to apologize.” One of those things you expect to hear from a lower ranking Invictus. But without introductions done that way, it was a guessing game that could be dangerous.

“I’ve had enough with discord between Covenants to find your plan a welcome one. Though I’m surprised you want to keep in alive, so to speak. With such secrets, it seems simply ending him would assure that the secrets he holds remain hidden. Eliminating the worry that someone could wake him. Does his remaining in Torpor hold some value to you?” never one to avoid the hard questions.

Now this was an interesting turn.

“So gaining possession of the painting is a way to try and hide a breach.” Can’t fault him for wanting to take care of that. “You say sneaking in here, is she in the Domain? If she was Embraced without permission, why has she been allowed to live? Her actions against a member in good standing of the First Estate cannot be ignored.” why not ash the mistake?

“I can only imagine, and it sounds like you regret it and have learned. Should you have trouble acquiring the painting, please let me know. I can get my men involved.” And they always got shit done. An eyebrow arches, “Tried too far with Mr Heinrich?” she wondered if he knew Edward was no longer part of the Invictus. “So you are concerned he will spread false information? I would like to say the First Estate could step in, but he is no longer a Kindred of Quality. But should this get, out of hand, there are other ways.” She couldn’t let a member of the Invictus get slandered.

“We’ve all made mistakes along our Danse, some more severe than others. And while a Breach is an offense that cannot be ignored, you are attempting to rectify the situation. I choose to withhold judgement until the matter is resolved. Handling that is more important right now.”

[Seryna]

"Yes, I shall head off the Breach as much as I am able. With my Curse, I would attract more eyes going into the art venue myself, so I avail myself of the ghouls, and Mr. Heinrich, Mable Wood, and Dirt Nap." He inclines his head as she mentions her assistance.

"I shall keep that in mind, your Grace. Well, Melanie Dunn was embraced in 2003." His lack of respect in referring to her indicates what he thinks of Melanie Dunn. "She was Embraced Legally. Her Sire obtained permission and was going about her tutlege. However the Unaligned do that." He sniffs, the respiration indicating his disdain.
"Her Sire spoke out of line... around 2004. It could have been diasterous if he sowed dissension. He was such a pretty boy, and folks did like to listen. I nipped that in the bud. She took offense and somehow skipped town before she could be questioned on her Sire's activities.

As far as I gather, thats what she does - she skips town and Danses somewhere else for a few weeks. Then she is seen around this Domain. Never more than a week, sometimes less than two days.
I had heard from my little eyes and ears that she had spoken with Horratio Quilz. Out in the Barrens. Likely where she hides to keep out of her Grace, Archon Twist's, keen observance." He shares.
"I shall keep you updated, your Grace. Either to report the success of containing, or submit myself.

The Covenant may have a bit of a tongue wag when I apologize to her Grace, the Archon." He chuckles.
"I shall have my ghoul provide your ghoul with the contact information for the police officers before we leave tonight. I am of the belief that our Kindred are being careful - there are no marks. If they meant to cover up the death, they would have rended the bodies with claws or some gun shots, I imagine.
I wonder if this is more of a... set up. Setting the good Kindred of the Domain up for some unknown reason. My first worry, of course, is that Hunters will see this. Four is a pattern."

"I am glad that my plan regarding finding Rafael Pope could serve." He straightens in his seat.
"I have been considering Mr. Jack. There is also the idea of Maeve and my own clan mate, Alexander Moore. I think Mr. Jack has the strength to keep the Unaligned in line and keep to the Invictus goal regarding Pope. Sadly we have no younger coterie of valid First Estate ancillae. As I said, the information where he is hidden should be coming through soon.

When it does show up, we will have to act quickly. I would hate for the Ordul or the Crone to catch wind and scoop us."

[Alessandra]

She listens with a nod, “Please keep me up to date on how successful they are,” a pause, “or are not.” There was no guarantee in their world.

“Even if someone has been Embraced legally, it does not mean she has not given up her right to the Danse. Especially when they make the choice to try and blackmail a member of the First Estate.” It didn’t sit well with her.

“Oh really? Spoken with him? Not that I’m surprised, seems trouble and worthless find each other.” The Savage was glad that Shadow left the Domain. He was going to be more trouble than he was worth. “Please do.” She actually wanted to speaking with this childe.

“It very well could be a setup, but I’m failing to figure out a reason for one. There would be an endgame, something or someone they are after. We’ve had the Brood before who were quite upset and carrying a grudge against events in the past. So it wouldn’t be unheard of.” She just preferred to know the reasons.

“Mr Jacque would be a fine choice. He’s shown quite a bit of promise while within the Domain, and has a level head on his shoulders. The other two I haven’t had much dealing with, but I believe they wouldn’t be a problem for Mr Jacque to handle.” She had faith in his abilities. “But Unaligned present their own special difficulties. I don’t know if either have any political goals, or any goals to be frank. So perhaps sweetening the pot so to speak will keep them in line. Or not.” Unaligned could be difficult at best.

[Seryna]

"I shall do so, your Grace. I shall update you upon every update that I recieve." He did glance to the ghoul at the door, who merely shook his head slightly. Mr. Kowalsic faced the Prince again.

"She is a thorn in the side. Her goal is to embarass the Invictus, from what I have deduced. She is trying to build up allies and contacts in the city, but wisely slides out of town before one can pinpoint her. It becomes an issue."

He leans forward slightly, indicating interest.
"You recommend him? That would hold great weight with me. I feel that he has the demeanor and strength to guide the investigation where it needs to go. There also will be the need for quick wits - I suspect that the location will be out of Sacramento proper.
The investigators won't be able to contact us quickly for direction." He emphasized. "There is a need for those who can self govern and who have the drive to complete what needs to be done. I think sweetening the pot is the right way to go. They want something.
Every Kindred wants something. Perhaps we can provide it. I do desire for Mr. Moore to be included - I believe he may have a background that could help in the clutch. My concern is that there perhaps should be someone more martial included if our finalists are Mr. Jack, Ms. Maeve and Mr. Moore. Ideally, we'd have a young Invictus coterie to task with this." He laments.

"I believe I have given you all of the information. Miss Kowalsic should be solving the final location as we speak. My main concern is the time crunch. Once we find the location, those tasked to solve the issue should be prepared to move.

They should take care to have fed recently, secured transportation, packed gear and keep it on them, and so on. Delays could be devastating."

[Alessandra]

A soft chuckle, “She can certainly try. The Invictus has been in good standing within this Domain for many, many years. It has kept the Domain safe and prosperous. So she is welcome to try, but she will fail.” It was clear the Savage was not worried about what a wayward Childe could try and spin. “Should we need her brought in, it will be so. My contacts and Allies go far and wide within the Domain, I have men who can find her should we have need.” She owned the criminal aspect of the city. She wanted someone, she could have them.

A single nod, “He had risen through the ranks within the Domain, even holding the office of Herald at one point. He has advised me wisely on a few matters, and has proven his worth to the Invictus as my student.” Which to her, spoke volumes. Not many in her position would take the chance on bringing someone into the Invictus. “I have faith he will be successful in the task.” He was a Lord, he could self-govern. “I’ve only had the pleasure of speaking with Mr Moore once, but found him well-spoken. Should something be needed to sweeten the pot, I’m sure I could offer proper incentive.” Should it be needed.

“If time is of the essence, then you need to make sure to relay that to them.” This was his thing, she wasn’t going to play messenger, her nights were busy.