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Shadows and Jasmine

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  1. #1
    Quinn Durant's Avatar

    Quinn Durant
    Obfuscate
    (Mask of Tranquility)
    Striking Looks
    (Enticing)
    Barfly
    (Velvet Rope Jockey)
    Good Breeding
    City Status
    Quinn Durant

    +1
    SL
    2
    PRE

    Quinn knew Conner had been waiting for this meeting since the moment he touched down in Sacramento. There was a lot to unpack between them, and holding this meeting here, in her Haven insured the level of privacy they both required for it.

    She had converted one of the rooms in her Haven to emulate a calm room. With a level of darkness Quinn deeply enjoyed. The lights were installed to look like a smattering of stars, and offered just enough light that heightening ones senses was not required. She had set up the candle warmer with wax melts to add the scent of amber to the room, and she put out a vase on a low table with fresh cut, night blooming jasmine. The heady sweet scent and the warm amber comingling to perfume the room.

    Wine had already been decanted, so they could enjoy a drink together. Quinn trusted Conner implicitly. The set up showed. They deserved some comfort and relaxation after all they had both gone through together to get here. Some modicum of freedom from the Family obligations of their blood. They were the youngest after all. Conner younger than even Quinn herself, of course.

    She waited for Conner now. Hoping this meeting satiate what they both required to move forward with their plans. There were promises they both needed to keep. It was time to begin.

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  3. #2
    Conner Wells's Avatar
    Blood & Faith
    Presence
    (Earnest)
    Allies
    (Academia)
    Obfuscate
    (Mask of Tranquility)
    Eidectic Memory
    Conner Wells
    PRP Stats

    HP: 0/7 [7 Bash]
    WP: 0/2
    Vitae: 2/6

    Equipment: Reinforced Jacket, Broadsword, Messenger Bag (flashlight, pen, notepad, binoculars, duct tape), Phone, Wallet ($50 cash)
    Combat Stats

    Def: 3 (Dex; Tonfa +1)
    Armor: 1/0 (Reinforced Clothing)
    Initiative: 4
    Speed: 9

    2
    PRE

    Finally...
    Conner walked with a sense of urgency that night. All the swirling questions and "what ifs" would at last be put to rest. And then he gets to the door of Quinn's Haven and he hesitates. His fist clenches and unclenches. Every bloody scenario twisting for attention in his mind until he locks onto the one mental image that brings him clarity of purpose. For what was lost.
    The door opens...
    The ambience strikes him as surprisingly serene. The muted lights, the candles, they all envelop him with a sense of safety. There were not peering eyes or leering ears to be found here. Just him and...
    And there she is: Quinn Durant in the unliving flesh. With their powers masking the gnawing, feral curse that begged for attention he was left with the all-to-human whirlwind of emotion that comes when a meeting is long overdue. His face stoic, at least for the moment, he offers a nod. "Thank you, Priscus Durant, for seeing me."

    PRP Stats: In Minisheet

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  5. #3
    Quinn Durant's Avatar

    Quinn Durant
    Obfuscate
    (Mask of Tranquility)
    Striking Looks
    (Enticing)
    Barfly
    (Velvet Rope Jockey)
    Good Breeding
    City Status
    Quinn Durant

    +1
    SL
    2
    PRE

    Quinn watched him enter the room with a patient smile on her face. She was dressed for summer in a long crimson maxi dress. The skirt of which pulled up just a bit as she was sitting with her legs folded and to the side of the long white couch. Her feet were bare as she was having a rare night in, so to speak. She noted the title and rolled her eyes.

    "Conner, we don't have to be formal here. There is no little birds hanging on our every word. It's just us." She sighed slightly in relief. "Finally." She stood slowly and moved towards him. Her diminutive stature put Conner a head above her. Her hands reached out and cupped his face. Her thumbs brushing over his cheekbones. "I know you are upset with me. I am so sorry you had to wait this long for us to speak privately. As your Priscus I make it my utmost priority to engage with the court as much as possible to help our clan gain alliances. It leaves me little time for anything else."

    Quinn motioned to the couch behind her. Stepping away from him. "Come sit with me, and have a glass of wine. Share with me the questions and concerns you have first." When he was seated, Quinn poured them both a glass, and handed one to him, before joining him.

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  7. #4
    Conner Wells's Avatar
    Blood & Faith
    Presence
    (Earnest)
    Allies
    (Academia)
    Obfuscate
    (Mask of Tranquility)
    Eidectic Memory
    Conner Wells
    PRP Stats

    HP: 0/7 [7 Bash]
    WP: 0/2
    Vitae: 2/6

    Equipment: Reinforced Jacket, Broadsword, Messenger Bag (flashlight, pen, notepad, binoculars, duct tape), Phone, Wallet ($50 cash)
    Combat Stats

    Def: 3 (Dex; Tonfa +1)
    Armor: 1/0 (Reinforced Clothing)
    Initiative: 4
    Speed: 9

    (Consume Food/Drink)Vitae 1 Spent
    2
    PRE

    Truth be told, Conner WAS frustrated. He'd tried so desperately hard to hide it, but little moments had slipped through the cracks. A little stiffness in his smile, a little edge in his voice. It was more with himself than anything else, but there was still that bitter aloneness that gnawed at him that amplified the guilt of others in his mind.
    And then Quinn reaches out and touches his face. He almost flinches, remembering how her emotions nearly drowned her in Elysium. But her touch is tender and her eyes are dark and genuine, and he melts. ​I should've remembered your example. Those had been his words when she'd first corrected him. And now he remembered why they were said.

    Conner follows Quinn's motion and sits at one end of the couch, gladly accepting a glass of wine and willing his undead body to accept it. He was beyond the point of getting drunk, thank God, but he could at least enjoy the taste.

    Where to start? Conner ponders for a few seconds as Quinn fills his glass.
    "Well, I guess I should start by saying this" He gestures to all of Quinn "explains quite a bit. Especially your clairvoyant abilities." Ever since that fateful first meeting, he'd known she was no charlatan. He just didn't know the full depth or source of her powers. ​"As far as questions, I guess first and foremost there's the matter of our Blood Tie. I've known of their existence, I just wasn't sure of where ours came from. My Sire didn't mention you until right before I left for Sacramento. She mentioned an apprentice at some point, but not very favorably." There's a brief smile as he remembers his Sire, all fire and brimstone.

    PRP Stats: In Minisheet

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  9. #5
    Quinn Durant's Avatar

    Quinn Durant
    Obfuscate
    (Mask of Tranquility)
    Striking Looks
    (Enticing)
    Barfly
    (Velvet Rope Jockey)
    Good Breeding
    City Status
    Quinn Durant

    +1
    SL
    2
    PRE

    Quinn regarded him closer then. Watching his expressions. The way he sat. The way his fingers held the glass. Quinn noted it all. She joined him at conversational distance. Closer than perhaps she would have sat to any other, but still with distance. Always respect what you are.

    She chuckled a little. "Hey, I held to the masquerade, yeah?" She said with a smirk. "I have to admit, when I got you to the next level so to speak, I didn't think it would lead you straight to Rowan." She paused a second and chuckled. "Rowan is my sire's sire. Which makes my sire your sibling major and it makes me your niece major, and you my uncle minor." She took a long drink of her wine. Closing her eyes a moment to savor the taste.

    "She was referring to Abel Wilkes. My sire, not me. He chose the Invictus over the Lance. Apparently she's still pissed about it, and Abel's done very very well for himself. Abel told me about her but refused to let me ever meet her. He said she was 'embarrassing.' I took that to mean a fuckup, but obviously there is more to it than that." She paused and took another drink.

    "What other questions do you have? Now is the time, as they say."

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  11. #6
    Conner Wells's Avatar
    Blood & Faith
    Presence
    (Earnest)
    Allies
    (Academia)
    Obfuscate
    (Mask of Tranquility)
    Eidectic Memory
    Conner Wells
    PRP Stats

    HP: 0/7 [7 Bash]
    WP: 0/2
    Vitae: 2/6

    Equipment: Reinforced Jacket, Broadsword, Messenger Bag (flashlight, pen, notepad, binoculars, duct tape), Phone, Wallet ($50 cash)
    Combat Stats

    Def: 3 (Dex; Tonfa +1)
    Armor: 1/0 (Reinforced Clothing)
    Initiative: 4
    Speed: 9

    2
    PRE

    Conner's expression grows somber, the wine glass tight in his grip but seemingly heavier than it should've been. This was part of why he'd needed this meeting so much: Quinn deserved to know what happened after their chance encounter.
    "After the reading, I left for Los Angeles. To get on the trail of...them." The ones who had taken from him. "I found myself in over my head; I was one man against an organization whose numbers and agendas I barely understood. That was when Rowan found me." He feels a phantom-itch at his neck, where he'd been Embraced. Where he'd been forever changed, forever cursed. "She'd been watching them too, waiting for a moment to strike out. I unwittingly provided the distraction she needed." He takes a sip of wine, the dark-colored liquid pleasantly burning his throat. "I thought she was going to kill me; going to rip me to bloody pieces like she had them. But she didn't; she offered me a choice. To gain the power to save What Was Lost, even if I could never reclaim it; or to die knowing that my mission had failed." He knows Quinn would understand the gravity of his choice, what was at risk. "And God help me, I took her offer."

    He returns to his wine, the glass a bit lighter now that the story he'd kept so close to his heart was now told. He had to admit, the idea of being Quinn's "uncle" was just a bit humorous to him. Uncle Conner? The irony of Quinn being his Priscus, and effectively his lifeline in Sacramento, took on a new light.

    Conner remembered now Rowan's distaste for her former protege, and the Invictus. Ivory-tower bastards. That's what she'd call them outside the Eternal Court's walls. He grins wryly. "Rowan was never one for Court politics. But there were other reasons..." He hesitates...

    But other questions burdened his heart. Perhaps eventually he would get to the point of Rowan's and his own inborn...complications.
    "I suppose my next question would be what should be my next move? Obviously there's helping the Lancea Sanctum rebuild in Sacramento, but what tasks are ahead for me as a Shadow? I know there's an investigation going on, but it sounds like everyone has it well in hand. And are there any potential rivals to the Shadows in the Domain I should look out for?" Such was the inborn peril of any large group of Kindred: throw enough predators in a cage together and eventually a fight will break out. Conner was eager to prove himself, but he didn't want to go out into the Domain blind. Even if he didn't actively seek to make enemies, he was sure they would appear on their own.

    PRP Stats: In Minisheet

  12. #7
    Quinn Durant's Avatar

    Quinn Durant
    Obfuscate
    (Mask of Tranquility)
    Striking Looks
    (Enticing)
    Barfly
    (Velvet Rope Jockey)
    Good Breeding
    City Status
    Quinn Durant

    (Imbibe)Vitae 1 Spent
    +1
    SL
    2
    PRE

    Quinn listened intently to each part, and the part about how Rowan went about it. She frowned and shook her head. "If it makes you feel any better, my embrace wasn't much better. David Wilkes, your Nephew major as well, found and collected me for your sibling major Abel Wilkes. Abel couldn't do it himself, as his vocal cords were permanently severed and burned so they wouldn't heal when he was a childer. He offended someone very very high up in the Invictus and paid for his words by being silenced forever. I was chosen for my mundane skills, or so David said, but Abel has alluded to more. The fact that I'm actually Egyptian. I mean I have seen the real papers, and it looked like I was adopted illegally." She shrugged a little. "It doesn't really matter now. The end result is the same."

    "I definitely recommend investigating what was left from the Lance, and I think you could check with the Seneschal to see if he knows anything about it. He keeps his ear all the way to the ground. If that fails, then you should ask the Seneschal to put you on the schedule for the Prince." She advised with a smile. She thought a moment on the rest taking a drink of her wine.

    "As a shadow, our job is to find others secrets. That has always been our currency. Well that and occult knowledge. That's what I asked of Maeve. She seemed on board with that until she started stabbing me in the back and suddenly had an issue with Elysium and behaving herself. I guess that's when she decided to start fucking over her own clan. She then stabbed you in the fucking back, and you just roll over and take it huh?" She looked at him then, with one eyebrow cocked. "Don't be fucking stupid Conner. You basically announced your weakness to the court. She'll use it against you. Did she tell you what her bloodline is?"

  13. #8
    Conner Wells's Avatar
    Blood & Faith
    Presence
    (Earnest)
    Allies
    (Academia)
    Obfuscate
    (Mask of Tranquility)
    Eidectic Memory
    Conner Wells
    PRP Stats

    HP: 0/7 [7 Bash]
    WP: 0/2
    Vitae: 2/6

    Equipment: Reinforced Jacket, Broadsword, Messenger Bag (flashlight, pen, notepad, binoculars, duct tape), Phone, Wallet ($50 cash)
    Combat Stats

    Def: 3 (Dex; Tonfa +1)
    Armor: 1/0 (Reinforced Clothing)
    Initiative: 4
    Speed: 9

    2
    PRE

    Conner listens to Quinn's story. He frowns at the word "collected", as if she were an artifact or a pet to be claimed. Abel's gruesome injury and the mention of her Egyptian heritage both draw visual reaction from the otherwise stoic Shadow. Egyptian? Did her sires really treat her like some kind of exotic possession? It made Rowan's treatment of him seem downright affectionate. "And the end result brought you here. And here you seem to be making a name for yourself." Even if there had been degrees of separation between Quinn and his Sire, she didn't seem to despise her as much as Abel.

    He nods begrudgingly at Quinn's mention of contacting the Seneschal. "That did briefly cross my mind. I suppose it wouldn't be too late to offer an apology." But the thought of meeting the Prince? In private? He shudders, remembering the overwhelming force of her predatory presence. If there really is no other way, then I guess that's that. She can't stay mad forever. Or could she? She was an immortal after all. It's not like she was wasting time by holding onto grudges.

    Quinn mentions Maeve, and the knot grows again in his stomach. Her stubbornness; her reckless disregard for the rules; her egging him on in Elysium on night one. He couldn't deny the frustration she roused in him, nor could be deny that her punishment was of her own making more than his own. But he'd made peace with her...hadn't he? At least they'd come to some understanding. Conner's mind briefly encircles a memory of a night in the Barrens; of confessions and bared hearts and his hands running over pink, welcoming skin.

    But Quinn's reproach to Conner snaps him back to the present, and something else along with it. His eyes narrow and his voice briefly rumbles with an animalistic growl. "The only thing I 'took' was your emotions thrust into my head, without warning." His choice of words there was very deliberate. The sting of being ditched in Elysium for Twist was still there, egging on his anger. But the flash of anger was just that, and over in a guilty instant.
    2 successes

    "No, she didn't tell me..." But why was Maeve's Bloodline so important? Conner racks his brain of the various Blood powers that Kindred could inherit from Sires or generate by sheer force of will. A particularly nasty few cross his mind, until one in particular hits him like a load of bricks. If he'd had color in his face, it would've paled. "Mnemosyne?" The power to generate artificial Blood Ties. Conner slumps into the couch, setting the wine glass down as gently as he could. Though he physically couldn't feel exhaustion, something internally rebelliously registered as wearied by this information.

    At this point, the topic he'd tried to dance around earlier couldn't be avoided. "Then it's only fair you should know. Part of the reason Rowan kept her distance from Court politics was because she was a Norvega; a Fangless." A cursed bloodline amongst cursed beings. ​"There's a very strong potential that this Bloodline is also present in me."

    PRP Stats: In Minisheet

  14. #9
    Quinn Durant's Avatar

    Quinn Durant
    Obfuscate
    (Mask of Tranquility)
    Striking Looks
    (Enticing)
    Barfly
    (Velvet Rope Jockey)
    Good Breeding
    City Status
    Quinn Durant

    +1
    SL
    2
    PRE

    Quinn chuckled a little. "Abel wanted me for my computer skills. To set up some eyes so we knew who was doing what where. Who had Kine working in what institutions etc." She sighed slightly. "There is more to it than just that. David is, not really stable right now. Abel is starting to get to the age where he will have to rest to thin his blood. When that happens, historically, if there is no Elder Shadow in the Coterie, then two younger shadows would enter in a mutual Vinculum with each other to lead the group. His expectation was for me to fulfill this role with David. You also have to be Invictus. So when I refused my invitation to join the Invictus and left, it wasn't just refusing our family's long tradition of either Invictus or Lance, but also leading the War Coterie that Abel himself established for the glory of the First Estate, and to make himself Viscount."

    Quinn reached out and touched Conner's hand, sensing his hesitance. "The Seneschal is excellent company, and will not hesitate to help you if he can. He harbors no ill will to those of the Lance that I am aware of. In fact, last I visited his office in Elysium he even had a copy of the Testament in there."

    "Now there is the quick witted young man I remember meeting."
    She said softly, watching him. His anger broke over her like water on rock. She stayed still, watching the storm blow through. Unmoved by that hiss of anger. "Yes, that is her bloodline. Remember her Grace's laws as well. Drinking the blood of another Kindred requires her permission. So don't be easily taken in. I would hate to think what would happen if one would willingly break her grace's laws, yet again. I don't want our Clan in the negative limelight anymore, Conner. She already stabbed you in the back once. Don't give her the opportunity to do so again." She wisely suggested, and moved on.

    She nodded her head once. "If that bloodline should manifest, we will deal with it, Conner. You can hunt with me, or you can begin to get a stable (herd) for yourself, and groom them to accept either the kiss, or cutting them. There are those Kine that like pain and pleasure, and there are a number of ways in achieving this. You are attractive, it shouldn't be to much of an issue." She covered the back of his hand with hers and patted it gently. "Do not share that beyond us though. Both for your sake, and your sire's."

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  16. #10
    Conner Wells's Avatar
    Blood & Faith
    Presence
    (Earnest)
    Allies
    (Academia)
    Obfuscate
    (Mask of Tranquility)
    Eidectic Memory
    Conner Wells
    PRP Stats

    HP: 0/7 [7 Bash]
    WP: 0/2
    Vitae: 2/6

    Equipment: Reinforced Jacket, Broadsword, Messenger Bag (flashlight, pen, notepad, binoculars, duct tape), Phone, Wallet ($50 cash)
    Combat Stats

    Def: 3 (Dex; Tonfa +1)
    Armor: 1/0 (Reinforced Clothing)
    Initiative: 4
    Speed: 9

    2
    PRE

    Conner continues to take in the almost fantastical intrigue that was Quinn's history. And a War Coterie? Purposely forcing blood bonds in a way that was certainly illegal here in Sacramento? No wonder Rowan had such a distaste for the Invictus. And now I'm a part of that history of rebellion, just from a separate front. "It seems like David and Abel have mostly left you to your own devices. Can we expect that to continue? Quinn was right; enemies to the Domain were very real and very frightening. "If push comes to shove I could reach out to the Lancea in LA to keep eyes and ears peeled." Gathering secrets. If that was a Shadow's calling then he would pursue it as best he could.

    Conner thinks a moment on her assessment of the Seneschal. He'd never truly observed him in any of the Courts, but perhaps she was right and he could be a valuable connection. And if he already had an interest in the Testament that was good common ground. He nods. "I'll have to get on that then."

    Again Quinn's tender forbearance surprises him, his bitter burst of anger not even a topic of conversation. But the idea of Maeve twisting him for her own ends. Would she do that? Could she? Seems I'm never running out of things to pray on. ​He gratefully accepts the change in topic to his own potential Bloodline. "I'd certainly considered building a Herd at some point, just hadn't gotten around to it." What with botching Court and all.
    1 success

    Then she calls him "attractive", and he just barely resists the urge to Blush. As tender as she was, as close as they were, she would always be his Priscus and he her...servant? friend? Ally. Yes, he could work with that. United in Blood and common cause. But there was still something that had to be said.
    As Quinn pats the back of his hand, he gently twists his fingers around so that they are resting over hers. Just enough so that she wouldn't break contact, to get her attention.
    "Quinn, I'm sorry." The words that had been swirling in his mind since he'd walked in the door. "I was so caught up in my own agendas and my own anger that I jeopardized your place in Sacramento." Her new home. Her place of freedom. "I know that there's only so much I can do to make it up to you at this point, but please know that I will repay your kindness." One last confession. One last fear to put to rest. "I won't make you regret my place here."

    PRP Stats: In Minisheet

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