The Blue House with the Jasmine

[Quinn Durant]

The address Quinn gave was in a sleepy suburb of Sacramento. The soft glow from inside the home, poured through the panes of glass of the front door. A welcome mat of sorts. Quinn didn't mind the darkness, but most other Kindred did mind. At least with a Mehket lurking in the dark with them. Though he was a Nosferatu. They were closer than that of other clans. The shared discipline was always to be believed that the Nosferatu were an offshoot of the Mehket. At least that's what her sire religiously believed. This belief was also shared by his childe.

Quinn answered the door herself. She was dressed in a dark orange high collared shirt, long sleeved in a silky fabric. It was paired with a short black leather mini skirt, and she wore a pair of strappy, chunky heeled sandals, to complete the look. Her hair was swept up into an elegant French twist. A pair of graduated concentric circle earrings in gold, a tri band ring on one finger, was her jewelry. Her makeup was done dramatic for evening.

"Good evening Mr. O'Brien. Welcome to my home." She said softly, and slowly stepping back with the door to allow him entry.

Her home was dimly lit, leaving the shadows deep and dark, and the light a soft gentle glow. A small lamp illuminated a corner of the living room that Quinn took him to. Like a quiet little nook. He had asked for intimacy hadn't he? The black chenille couches were plush and comfortable, and littered with fuzzy and regular throw pillows. A low coffee table had a fat vase with water and pink long stem roses in single file around the vase's edge. Electric battery powered 'candles' flickered on a gold tray on the coffee table.

[Connor OBrien]

When Connor said shortly, he actually meant the exact time it took to drive around the city to find a flourist that was open this late. A gentleman always greets a lady with flowers, especially if she so graciously welcomes him into her home. He thought to himself as he drove. One of the few things, other than farming potatoes, that his father taught him.

She could probably hear the roar of his car's engine, much to the displeasure of her neighbors he was sure, before he pulled onto the street and into her drive. The engine cut off and the door swung open, with him stepping out into the warm night air. He was dressed in a suit, as when she had first met him, but this time ot was a completely black ensemble, nicer than the one at Elysium. His hair was combed up and slightly off to the side. Cradled in his arm was a bouquet of brightly colored daisies.

The walk up to the door was short, but long enough for him to question whether this was a good idea. It didn't matter though, he was already there. Arriving at the door, he officially announces his arrival with 3 sharp raps. Knock. Knock. Knock.

When the door opened he was stunned for a moment. She was even more captivating than the night they'd met. Just how much trouble was he in. After a moment of shocked silence, he finally spoke. "Good evening to you as well, Miss Durant." He extended the flowers to the Mekhet as he entered. "These are for you, a gift for welcoming me into your home."

He looked around the room as Quinn led him to a particular corner. It was dim, but not so dim as to leave him blind. The furnishings were well thought out, somewhat akin to what you might have found in his home in New York, save for the fuzzy throw pillows. "Your home is lovely," he said, his emerald green eyes landing back on Quinn. He made a point to only sit either once a seat was offered, or after his host.

[Quinn Durant]

Quinn smiled softly, a muscle jumping in her cheek a moment as she adjusted to the press of his beast. The beast wanted to slam the door in his face, but of course that was not what happened. She smiled more boldly as she took the flowers from him. Daisies were lovely, and she got a vase from the kitchen and put them in water, and left them on the counter to brighten that space. As roses were already on her coffee table. She made a gesture for him to be seated as she sat herself.

"Thank you Mr. O'Brien." She intoned politely, folding one leg over the other, one arm laying along the top edge of the couch and the other along the arm, her legs folded facing him. Body language showing comfort, but also attentiveness. She claimed her space. Making it clear she was the master here.

"So tell me, how are you finding Sacramento compared to New York, City? I imagine it is quite rough by comparison." Her last trip to New York had been with Janos. He was selling some paintings and met briefly with another of the First Estate, of course making sure his show was a success.

She let her gaze take him in after helping to guide the conversation to its first topic. Beauty had its own power, and Quinn was not immune. He was lovely, with an edge of the severe rounding it all out with his curse. Janos's curse was so similar it raised hairs on the back of her neck. Is it really fair to compare him to Janos? He's certainly not looking at you the way Janos does. No paternal instincts towards you, that is for sure.

[Connor OBrien]

Connor smiled as Quinn accepted the flowers. The message was there if she was familiar with Florentine Code, but it wasn't as common a knowledge as it used to be. He noticed the small twitch in her smile though... he would have to work on his own powers, so as not to invoke the beast in others.

He unbuttoned and removed his suit jacket, folding it in half and setting it on the couch beside him as he sat, making sure to stay a modest distance away from the other Kindred. "It isn't as busy here," he says softly, feeling as if too loud a volume would shatter the tranquility of the moment, "and I have yet to decide if that's a good or bad thing, but I'm leaning towards good." There was one thing here that was better than New York, so far, but he wouldn't be bold enough to put that thought into words. "The Kindred here seem to care less about backstabbing for power as well, as far as I've seen. It makes it easier to trust some to a better degree. Present company included for the moment." It didn't mean he didn't think she would lie to him, they were Kindred of course, but it meant he would lie less. "What about yourself? You've been in Sacramento for some time now, I assume. Is it everything you wished it would be when you moved here?"

He noticed her eyes on him, but it was only polite to look at the person you were conversing with. Surely there couldn't be anything else behind it. He let his eyes land on hers, listening intently as she responded to him.

[Quinn Durant]

She watched every movement of his with open interest. She made no bones about watching him like a hawk. How he moved in her space. What he did.

The suit was nice, she noted. She loved the black on black look. Very Johnny cash if Johnny had actually been hot, like Mr. O'Brien.

The low lighting flickered and glimmered off the glass on the table. The electric candles were good enough to give the illusion of a soft flickering glow without the panic induced by real candles and fire. She did miss the real thing though. She pulled her head out of those types of thoughts, Dragon musings.

"New York City is one of the greatest in the world. I remember The City from when I was human, and then going a few years earlier with one of your clan, actually, again as a Kindred. As a human I thought the city smelled of baked asphalt, urine, and hot dogs." She started to chuckle a little bit and shake her head. "As a Kindred it smelled of sunlight, urine, and copper pennies, that amazing scent of blood like an undercurrent. It has a real pulse to it. A heartbeat. I liked it so much, I was sad to leave."

She smiled slightly at the last two bits. "Perhaps. Or maybe we all share an uncommon loyalty to the idea of stability. A stable Domain is everything, after all. A court united by a singular purpose based loosely on an ideal that benefits all you have a very tough court to crack."

She sobered slightly as he asked her if the city held all that she wished. "That's the real trick of keeping up through the years isn't it? Wishing for things. Desiring things. We are creatures who can get whatever we want, whenever we want. When the distance between wanting and having is nothing, how do you keep stagnation at bay?" She shrugged one shoulder, once. "You have to be comfortable enough to get by, but still left with all the yearning of unrequited love to take on each evening as it if were your last." She smiled softly, and her gaze lowered to the electric flame again. "I don't know if I actually answered your question or not..."

[Connor OBrien]

He sighed slightly as she mentions how New York smelled. "It smelled like that when I first arrived as well, the first time at least. It was much different than the fresh air of home." He almost loses himself in memories of Ireland. "You know, I probably have great, great, great grand nieces and nephews back in the old country." His emerald eyes land on Quinn's once more. "Perhaps we could go back some time, to New York, I mean. I have property to check on occasionally, after all."

He pondered for a moment at Quinn's thoughts on trust and the court. "Wouldn't all of that foster a sort of trust. We all lie, that's the biggest truth to our kind, but to have the kind of strength we need to maintain our stability as a court, we need to trust each other, at least to a degree. Back in New York, you always had to watch your back, it's the biggest reason I was concerned with your image coming here, I didn't want to give anyone any fuel to keep you from moving in court. It's nice to be in a place where one doesn't have to be entirely concerned with the public's opinion of them."

He smiled as Quinn talked of wishing "Because the difference between wishing and having the most important things is always much to far away. His smile faded for a moment as he looked at the flickering bulb of the electric candles. "I could wish for something in this very room, for example," he said, his voice dropping low, ​"but that doesn't mean I could just take it."

[Quinn Durant]

Quinn's smile grew slightly, egged on by the nostalgic smile on Mr. O'Brien's face. A certain amount of levity was always good for a conversation. She nodded a bit. "Perhaps. Or we could be where our feet are. There are hidden gems and scents to find her in Sacramento too."

"Yes, I would say there is some trust with the majority of the court. All of that rolls down hill you know. Prince Antinori is certainly a large factor in that, as is the upper echelon's of the court. Like Archon Twist, Seneschal Jack, Priscus Hazelton, and formerly Seneschal Alice Hart. I do miss the last quite a bit. I only spoke with her a few times, but I learned something every single time. She was Circle of the Crone, you know..." She idly mused and gossiped. Mainly about people whispering that this was an Invictus city. Feh. Utter trash gossip mongering.

Quinn's smile turned predatory. Just like that. And she waggled her right index finger at him. "Careful careful now dearie." She even made the little chiding sound to go with it. "Don't make a psychic to curious about what's in your head, now. A girl get's a little offensive when she feels her guests aren't being forthcoming, and the curiosity of the Mehket is legend." The lil brat even stuck out her lower lip a tad, just enough to add to her already generous pout.

[Connor OBrien]

"I don't plan to move back, there's nothing left for me in New York besides money and memories." His face briefly became oddly sad for a kindred, but was replaced by a small smile just as quickly. "No, I just have to make sure the management company is doing its job every now and again."

"That is most likely the case, and it helps to have a Prince who knows what she's doing, Sacramento seems to be thriving under he rule." He looks away as he speaks, taking in a deep breath; more out of habit than anything. "A Crone you say? We didn't see many in New York, but they were always the interesting sort. Their blood magics were a sight to see."

He caught the smile. He wasn't entirely sure what it meant, but he could guess from the way she was talking. "Do you really want to know?" His smile shallowed to a sly smirk, his eyes taking on a more predatory angle. "I could tell you," he said, shrugging slightly, his voice almost a low growl, "but should I? I could decide to leave you with that Mekhet curiosity as an excuse to see you again." This Kindred was dangerous, but he wasn't sure whether it was entirely in a bad way at the moment.

[Quinn Durant]

Quinn felt a pang of nostalgia herself. "I am sorry you lost something there that made it unbearable, but nostalgia is one of the hardest emotions to suppress I find. It reminds me of what PTSD was described as a mortal, its the only thing that truly unsteadies us."

Empathy Roll

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-06-06 12:27:17	Quinn Durant rolls 5 to Wits + Empathy (More emotions than sadness?) (10 Again)	5, 2, 8, 8, 2	2 successes

She paused a moment watching him, and her smile was gentle a moment, a softening of her tone. "Perhaps, coming here will help you move on from that loss, and find a measure of peace in the unfamiliar. Though you will not find as much in the way of entertainment to distract you here as in New York, there still is a thriving night life here. I am sure you will find it adequate to sate your thirst."

She chuckled softly. "As a Dragon, I would give a lot to see the Crone's blood magic. How fascinating really?! I would be willing to trade some secrets for a demonstration. Of course the only one in the city to ask now is Ms. Mabel Wood, Gangrel, Circle of the Crone. She intrigues me, and yet I'm afraid my clan keeps me so busy that I hardly have time to devote to every scholarly pursuit I have a mind to be interested in."

She watched him then, the edge of teasing and more in his tone. She rolled her eyes good naturedly, letting some of her guard down. " A little mystery is preferred at this time Mr. OBrien. Though I don't feel like I need an excuse to see you again, as more the reason I should. I don't give out my time lightly, and you are a curiosity, but eventually that shine wears off and we shall see if you have the grit to weather the crucible of Sacramento."

[Connor OBrien]

"I thank you," he said, bringing himself back into the reality of the moment, "for the kind words. Some Kindred would see this as a weakness, but I'm glad to see that it isn't to you." He smiled as she mentioned the night life of Sacramento. "I like a night out as much as the next Kindred, but it isn't what drives me anymore."

The magics of the crone, something he understood very little of, but had seen once or twice. "I didn't get a chance to see it often, and normally you didn't want to be around much longer once they started. Have you ever seen a Kindred stop dead in their tracks at the word of another kindred? It was like the hand of death had taken ahold of them." He listened again for a moment as she mentions being kept busy. "I would assume they would keep you busy, it must be difficult being the head of a Clan sometimes. If you're passionate about it though, I'm sure you can make some time to try and study the Crone."

He watched as Quinn rolled her eyes and let her guard down again. He relaxed again in turn. "Then a little mystery you shall have, Priscus Durant, The excuse wasn't for you though, it was for me. As for why you should waste your time on me; I can't answer that, though I would hope we could find a reason. Though honestly, if the curiosity wears off and you find yourself regretting the use of your time, then that is on me; but I assure you, I survived a voyage to America during a time when my kind were considered liars and thieves, I survived fights where death was an all too real occurrence, and I survived the death of a mate, both Kine and Kindred. I will survive Sacramento." His tone was neither accusatory, nor even a little bit angry. It just was.