(Necropolis) After the Main Event

[Bellemy]

Affected by Awe.

Bellemy's mouth clamped shut as Connor started to retort. The haunt listened to the answers and began to feel the anger ebb away, replaced by a sense of guilt.

Bellemy stood listening to Connor and made no move to interrupt instead hanging on his every word. Only after he was finished and Jennifer filled the silence did Bellemy speak.

Something isn't right!

"What you say has merit cousin. I apologize for my outburst."
With a flourish of skirts Bellemy curtsied to Connor with the apology.

There was a faint feeling coursing through Bellemy, A feeling of the past, of Kinship a strong pull of will last felt…..sire?

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-07-27 12:14:28	Bellemy rolls 4 to Int 2 + occult 2 (10 Again)	10, 5, 6, 8, 4	2 successes

Bellemy blinked in sudden understanding. A small smile spread across the haunt's face. "Might i ask, cousin? That you please refrain from employing our gifts of the society on me, you have made your point and I concede, should I choose to do like, I fear we will be here all night.. Besides, I was under the impression that Havens are sacrosanct and that using powers on another Kindred in their Haven is a crime. I may be wrong though." Bellemy looked to Jennifer for a reaction.

Bellemy turned to give a nod of thanks to Helen before looking back at Jennifer. "Apologies Priscus. Perhaps my laugh was insulting." Bellemy turned to Connor "Again, I apologize.
Back to Jennifer. "I was taken aback that anyone would request the position let alone someone so new to the domain, who hasn't even had enough time to get to know the people in the necropolis, let alone the city. I don't think any of us are ready to be honest but if you feel the family needs the position filled, I cannot argue the point, priscus."

Belley changed tact to address the other question. "while all eyes were on the...incident. I noted that Miss Wood took more intrest in the surrounding people then the punishment.

And of course Mr. Heinrich was..problematic. The prince herself was very interested in the family's reaction, probably looking for potential malefactors". Bellemy stopped speaking to give the other a chance to weigh in with their thoughts.

[Helen Kingsley]

Helen doesn't find much to say to what Connor has to offer. After all, most iosn't really directed to her and even the stuff that is about her is more like being talked about while sitting right next to those doing so. Also the whole 'torporing' stuff ranks directly with the 'I would totally have let it slide if not for x' stuff on the scale of things she doesn't have more than a shrug for. One because they'll see when they see, and the other because those hypotheticals are always cheap. A little like the usual filler phrases.

She leans back a little and folds her hands behind her head as Notary Hazelton repeats the usual warning about semantics. She does feel the slight urge for a question, buit allows it to wither and die before the urge has any opportunity to manifest. Asked about the whip vote, she crosses her arms in front of her chest and gives Connor a short look before she replies.

"I didn't. If Connor told you any different, he's either getting things mixed up or he's lying.

I have started some preparations, but they haven't gotten very far as of yet. Some people are pretty hard to get a hold of." she offers in regards to meeting up with the others.

"I've seen two whips in action so far, one a spineless rubberstamp, one an overbearing micromanager. Those are shitshow stories for another day, though. So it depends... Basically the go-to guy for anything the Priscus might need at any given time. Worst case the guy who gets to do the jobs the Priscus doesn't want to do, best case someone who can be trusted enough as number 2. What would I expect from a Priscus ? I guess he or she could act like a sort of... let's call it... union rep or a gauge of what's the mood down in the crowd and also help keep them in line, whatever people tend to understand by that. But mostly, I'd expect them to be able to stand in for the Priscus if necessary and perhaps doing a little Priscus-ing on their own every now and then to either learn the ropes or show that they got what it takes to do the job themselves one day."

She perks up a little as Bellemy speaks about sacrosanct havens and using powers on kindred, looking slowly from Bellemy over Jennifer to Connor.

"Gifts ? Powers ? Did I miss something ?"

(OOC: Not affected by Awe)

[Connor OBrien]

Connor attempts to speak up before Helen takes Jennifer's misquoting the wrong way, but Helen beats him to speak up. He listens, giving her a moment to say what she needs to. "Yes, respectfully Priscus, you've misquoted me. I said she thought we should, not that she requested to nor did she seem to think it was a request to." He turns to Helen and gives her a small bow. "Apologies that it got taken that way."

He then turns to Bellemy as she says a very specific phrase. 'Our gifts of the society' stood out to him. "Apologies, Madame Bellemy, I did not mean to influence your thinking with it. I simply wanted to temper my abrasive personality in the moment until I get time to work on it naturally. If there was a law broken; it was out of ignorance, not a deliberate disregard for the laws. However, would we not be in a legal gray area if it is the case? It is my haven as well. I would think you would be able to defend yourself, physically or socially, as you see fit in your haven. If you request I will submit myself to some form of retribution, within reason, for using the gift upon you."

He listens more as Bellemy continues to speak. "You are correct, Bellemy, this situation with Whip is different than I've seen it done before. Normally the Priscus would simply name one, though I believe this way would give the Whip more claim to the role, as the whole family will have a say in who it is. I personally put myself out there for the very reason you named, I am the newest and as such have the most to prove. This was going to be my way to do so. I believe it is a role that I can succeed in while giving the family the peace of mind that we have someone to step up to take the Priscus' place temporarily should anything happen to her, which is why I was trying to contact you all."

Then she started naming those that were more interested in the family than the spectacle itself. He nods his head as he finished. "I would have to agree, Mr. Heinrich seemed to show some degree of... delight... at the public shaming of our Cousin. I would not doubt that some rumors will begin to spread, and I have no doubt they will come from him. The coward will try to find a way to hide himself as the source, but the scene during court showed his true colors."

[Jennifer Hazelton]

Her eyes are sharp, scanning those speaking. Jennifer remains quiet for most of the points made. The observations noted. Simply watching with an alert expression. Jennifer remains quiet for a few minutes, best to let the Family members discuss thier differences and air grievances. That one of these Nosferatu was likely going to stand for the Family as Whip, soon, was all the more reason for them to be able to make a solid argument and take criticism calmly.
She didn’t respond when Bellemy asked about the rules of Havens. She had gone over the rules… and they all had been here long enough to figure that out, hadn’t they?

3 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-07-27 21:18:48	Jennifer Hazelton rolls 5 to Intelligence + Occult - 1 (ATME) (10 Again)	9, 10, 4, 8, 7, 4	3 successes

Jennifer’s own tutelage under a Daeva, the most masterful Daeva in her opinion, shone as she studied Connor’s argument to Bellemy. Dark eyes met his for a beat, calm and direct. It was a dangerous game to play. As he likely did not know his Priscus was trained in a Gift of the Daeva Blood. Jennifer then studied Bellemy for a moment. She had figured that out rather quickly.
A point was made that did rouse her curiosity, and she spoke.
"The two of you have not been here very long. Is your argument that Alexander is the only one who qualifies for whip due to longevity in the Domain?"
Bellemy, you say’:

I was taken aback that anyone would request the position let alone someone so new to the domain, who hasn't even had enough time to get to know the people in the necropolis,’.

Yet the position is something that you request. I am not a mind reader."

And of course Mr. Heinrich was..problematic. The prince herself was very interested in the family's reaction, probably looking for potential malefactors".

“I will tell you a bit about that. Mr. Heinrich appears to blame me for his ousting from the Invictus, although I only refused to do my role of function for him as he seemed uneducated on the subject. I was cross that he attempted to smear my name after last Formal Court. I am sure you all heard what he said.” She looked around the room. She was direct and honest.
“I can understand that he doesn’t like me. I could give a flying fuck if he doesn’t like me. Yet saying Madame Woods has contributed more to the Domain than I was an insult.”
She realized that profanity may surprise some, yet this wasn’t Elysium. Nor an Invictus party. This was their home and they ought to be as honest as Kindred could be with one another here.

"I would have to agree, Mr. Heinrich seemed to show some degree of... delight... at the public shaming of our Cousin. I would not doubt that some rumors will begin to spread, and I have no doubt they will come from him. The coward will try to find a way to hide himself as the source, but the scene during court showed his true colors."

"He is a coward. I was looking to him because he is the one I suspect would take delight in the shaming of our Family. He looked at the Prince, or her feet, and lied. His act in insulting me last month and then ignoring me to join my friend Dirt Nap and Mr. Smith was a blatant snub."

A moment of reflection. “Although my timing on calling out his passive aggressive bitch behavior was poor.”

“I like your observations, Bellemy and Connor, Helen, I would like to know what you saw. We all have different perspectives and education.”

At Connor’s correction, she nodded to him. Accepting the correction calmly.
“Then I retract that, Helen.” She looked to Helen. Jennifer turned over how Helen took her misunderstanding of what Connor had said. Helen seemed to be at odds with Connor. It seemed like there seemed to be a great deal to work through between these three. She leaned forward slightly, looking forward to seeing it work out.

“Helen, both of those sound like poor choices. I am involved in two investigations currently.” A nod to Connor. “Connor is also involved in one of these.” She looked between Helen and Bellemy, speaking calmly and direct.
“The Clan needs a Whip to unify us and to be kept informed of important matters. To best share with the Family when the need arises. An important part of the role is standing as a second in command. If I am injured, you need someone whose kept informed of important information who can smoothly transition into leader until my recovery.

I want to give you all a bit of history on why this is important to me. When I was here in 2011, the strongest among us took Priscus and the others voted on the Whip. It worked well for years. Except not well for the one who hadn’t bothered to get to know her Family and abstained.” She frowned at that memory. Jennifer composed herself after a moment and continued.
"In 2014, I claimed the Priscus position the first time after being in the city for a bit. The former leadership didn’t even set up a Whip- so we had to figure things out fast. On our own.”

Couldn’t show weakness to the other Clans.

She didn’t mention Connor specifically. She wasn’t his cheerleader, and if he wanted the position, he needed to learn how to defend his points. Hopefully he took her earlier advice while doing so.

[Bellemy]

Still under the effect of Connor's influence, Bellemy nodded respectively at his words. "Let us think no more about this whole unfortunate affair. Instead we should turn our thoughts to the future. For the good of the family." The haunt smiled.

Bellemy looked over at Helen and gave the woman a soft, almost encouraging smile before facing Jennifer but speaking to everyone. "To clear the air I will state plainly. My interests lay in a different direction at the moment. I am fully committed to working towards the goals of my covenant and am not in a place to give proper attention to other things. Please do not count me in contention for the role of whip." having finished Bellemy returned to the comfort of the bench. Skirts swishing with the movement.

Once the haunt was again seated, Bellemy listened to Jennifer tell her point of view on Heinrich followed by more about her origin in the city. Bellemy didn't really have anything to add to Jennifer's thoughts and so sat quietly only periodically looking at Helen.

[Helen Kingsley]

"Apology accepted."

Arms still crossed; Helen considers Connors little speech, even though its mostly directed at Bellemy.

"Where I'm from, leaving disciplines at the door is no matter of some legal grey area, some 'Nobody said I couldn't do it' stuff." She points towards the ceiling with her thumb. "Out there, everything is possible and all bets are off. Some people might not like you, some might hate your guts and try to bring you down any way they know how. All part of the game, if you want to put it like that. We expect disciplines, knives, bullets, people trying to get one over on us, all that stuff and worse. That's fair, we all know and expect that. No problem with that."

She gets up and makes a few steps towards the body of water.

"But not in here. In here, we expect to be able to let our guard down at least a little. Because we're more or less on equal footing. Because even if someone is a complete tool, he's still family and knows there'll always be this one place where he'll at the very least be tolerated. Because ideally, that blood we share means something to us and creates a sort of mutual fellowship and acceptance, as small or as big as you want. Even some vision for the communal future. But that all hinges on the trust that people wont try to screw us and get cheap advantages over us in here like they might try to outside. The trust that in here, as long as you are decent towards the others and respect them, they'll be decent and respect you back. The trust that this is a place of hospitality and respite. Now, folks want to trust this place and this family. But if some 'legal grey areas' enter the picture, what does that do to how people in here see other people ? Do those people still follow the rules assumed to be there for everyone or will they rule-lawyer stuff to help themselves ? That is the sort of stuff that kills trust, communal havens and group cohesion as a whole. That is also why I think keeping disciplines out of communal havens is basic human decency. or at least should be."

She paces a few steps and then sits back down again.

"Me, I was mostly concerned with the punishment on display and making sure it was clear that the message was received and understood. From what little I gathered apart from that, though, it seems that Mr Heinrich doesn't have too many supporters at court."

She sits still for a bit, as if listening for somewthing in herself or mulling something over. Then, she speaks up again.

"Now, I respect Connor's dedication to the family and acknowledge that so far, he seems to have taken more initiative to get into those investigations than I have. He talks the talk and does have a way with words, which benefits him, no doubt about that. Speaking from a position with little to show for in the time I have been here and with as little as three meetings, including this one, to base my judgement off, does feel cheap in the way of talking about capabilities without having taken time to get something to show to back them up. Still, from what I have seen of Connor and his way of going about things, I'm not fully convinced I like the way he goes about some of the business connected to the post he campaigns for."

Helen looks around at the folks present, then gets up from her seat up after a resigned sigh.

"I will be in contention for the role of whip."

[Connor OBrien]

Connor listens respectfully to Helen as she speaks on his use of Majesty. She was right, it was a foolish move, but one he felt needed to be done, or they would constantly be at odds "You are correct, Helen, it was foolish of me to do that. As I had explained to Bellemy, though, I had believed we would continue to be at odds here and nothing would get done. I have not controlled her mind, merely used the blood to soften the rough edges of my words in her ears. I will temper my abrasive nature naturally in the future, as I am attempting to do now, which you should be able to account for seeing as you are not under the effects of my blood gift; you may believe that or not, but I have been nothing but truthful since we began our talk." He looks between the other 3 gathered for a moment. "I will offer Bellemy another chance at retribution once the effects of the gift wear off. As for the 'legal gray areas,' I would suggest making it law between us that the Necropolis is a place where blood gifts should not be used, and I include my usage in that as well. Should we choose this and decide on a punishment for it, I will accept responsibility and punishment. I do not proclaim to be above the law."

He thinks on Helen contending for the roll of whip a moment, and sighs. "I wish you the best on your endeavor, Helen, and will not contest should you win. I would, however, like to get my strengths out in the open. First, as Helen put it, I have a way with words. I believe this will be to the family's advantage should anything happen to the Priscus and I would have to take over temporarily. Public opinion can be easily swayed by a few words here and there. Secondly, I was a boxer as a Kine and have carried those skills over into my Kindred life, we need someone who can hold themselves well should anyone see any misfortune to the Priscus as a chance to do harm to our family. Lastly, I am already working on building allies besides our family amongst the court, namely Priscus Durant of the Mekhet. Allies in court will be useful should anything ever come down to a vote between Priscii, and will help us secure our footing in the domain." The haunt makes his way back toward the bench he was seated at before, looking to Helen for any input.

[Jennifer Hazelton]

"Everyone could do with tempering any abrasive words." Jennifer emphasized.
"And a note - once its introduced, anyone could do the same thing, Connor. You are not the only one who has that Gift, even in this room."


It wasn't something she advertised, yet they were Family.
Now Jennifer leans back. She looks between the three Family members, watching to see if they could speak in a civil manner, free of sharp words or arguments. With Helen putting her name in the running, no doubt the others would have questions for her as to her suitibility. And she trusted Connor would have a few questions to answer. His suggestion was something that likely would be interesting to discuss.

[Bellemy]

Bellemy listened to the cousins trade words from the comfort of the bench. It was a relief to not have to worry about making a mark on those gathered here. With nothing personal to gain Bellemy could just relax and study the assembled people.

The silent appraisal began with Connor. He has ambition. The craving for influence and recognition pours off him like a bouquet of red wine. The man is covetous of position and eager to please Jennifer. But to what end? He has no root here, no seed planted. He churns up the soil with each step, will what he sows grow or will he smash through the field like a herd of cattle ineptly destroying all that was tilled? He is in need of tempering. I have no doubt that the priscus will see to that. She is very much aware the crucible of the court will destroy all but the purest alloy. Can he be taught?

Ghastly eyes turned to look upon Helen, thoughts bouncing. And you Helen, brusk and unrefined, your emotions projected for all to see. Is that a caring nature I sense behind the gruff demeanor? A diamond in the rough? I will admit if only to myself I am glad she chose to pursue whip, if only to prevent Connor from being unchallenged. But I ask myself, why?, she has never struck me as particularly ambitious. What is her motivation? Is it strictly to prove she can? Many are the stories of the fool who fell at court.

The eyes moved again to the third among them. They settled softly on Jennifer. And then there is you, Priscus. I don't know why but I get the distinct impression of a spider building its web. Maybe I am the fool on this front but this whole situation screams set up to me. Rushing someone to Whip for the good of the family? Or as a shield to take the blows away from the one who wields it? We are in a game within a game within a game, but who are you playing against Priscus? And what are the stakes?

All these things and more went through Bellemy's mind while the Haunt sat silent.

[Helen Kingsley]

Helen chuckles.

"Maybe you should try use your gift at language to soften the edges of your words. You've shown in the past you know how to do it. Anyway, I'm not questioning the truth of the words, just the intent of the side-course that came with those."

She nods as Connor introduces the points about him one after the other.

"Having a way with words is pretty important. I wouldn't say I don't have one, but it sure is different from yours. Whether it's as effective... No idea, it depends on the people it's directed at, I guess. However, I disagree about the public opinion. I feel especailly in our society, deeds are a lot more important than the words they're supposed to back up. Although I guess, having some gifts for that to fall back on doesn't hurt, eh ?

Second's a good point as well. I'm not classically trained, but I've been taught how to fight early in my requiem. It's not fancy, it's not fair, it's nothing people would pay to watch. But it's effective and I'm pretty good at it.

For the allies part, I have little to put in on that as of yet. It is true that we could use allies, although Priscus Durant seemed to me like a natural ally by way of Jennifer already, at least when it comes to cases connected to 'if something happens to the current Priscus'. If you know what I mean. I had a few people on my atchlist, but so far haven't gotten to talk to most of them. It's a mius, I won't sugarcoat that." She exhales, thinking about what else to say. "To be fair, I didn't plan on throwing my hat in the ring, which puts me at a disadvantage. I haven't really sought out potential leader positions for some time. The last one I had I pretty much got by it being my turn and because I was good with handling paperwork. I don't think the first one applies by far and the second doesn't matter, so thats that. Still, I guess we both agre on a lot of things, even if we seem to have different approaches.

In the end, I guess who is better suited for the task depends a lot on the circumstances and of course in the end also to the style of number-two-ing the current Priscus would want to encourage for potential number twos. The question we need to answer thus is something along the lines of 'How important are the differences in compensate for shortcomings in other areas ?'. You wanted to know why any putting themselves up for whip wants the job. So why do I want the job ? I think it'd be a good way to give something back to the family and from all I've heard so far, I'm confident I can do the job. However, as I see it, it almost feels a little like we're turning into some preliminary August meeting basically. I wonder if that's a good thing."

She shrugs.

"As we're mostly together, perhaps we could use the time to discuss how the whole Kowalsic mess has impacted or might be impacting us as a whole in the future. After all, it might have axed some goodwill towards us the top in the domain might have held toward us, and that's not even speaking of the assets we lost when the Kowalsics were asked to get the hell out of Dodge."

Unless those are all Invictus internal secrets, of course... She looks over to Jennifer.

"Any sort of stuff that could or should be salvaged before the vultures circle in even more than they already have ?"