PrP - BaF - Discussing the Mark

[Milton]

Nox.

That part of the club where only the walking corpses and their minions are permitted. Milton fits right in: unblushed and unbreathing. Lifeless.

He ignores the looks and whispers of the faceless on his way into the room he's reserved for this evening's meeting. Just as he ignores the displeasure of his Beast. Even with the door to the room closed, this will not be a private engagement. Milton's willing to trade total privacy for the guarantee of Elysium's security.

He wears a charcoal grey suit, black shirt, and black tie with gold tie-bar, and carries a laptop bag with him.

Upon entering the room, he assumes one of the seats at the large wooden table. Extracts his laptop, turns it on, unlocks it. A file is also pulled from the bag and opened, left to one side of the computer. Official looking documentation can be glimpsed therein. These are the records he'd acquired from the city.

Everything arranged, Milton settles in to wait for his compatriots.

Conner Wells BoxingUnicorn Helen Kingsley John

Equipment: Full Size Car, Connor's Loner Gun (locked in car glove box), laptop + laptop bag, business cards, pen and small notebook, smart phone, wallet with cash and cards

[Conner Wells]

Conner checks his weapon in at the threshold, no doubt getting an incredulous look from the size of the weapon and the fact that he walked it in through a building full of people. But the coat check must've known not to ask too many questions, what with blades of all shapes and sizes from fangs to hefty knives going to and from frequently. The Shadow is dressed for action even as he sheds his coat; simple, dark-colored button up and loose khaki pants. After a brief look to make sure Helen is close behind him, Conner enters Elysium.

He feels Milton before he sees him, the uncloaked stench of monster aggravating his predator's spiritual lungs. But he presses onward, more interested in the task at hand. He takes a seat across from Milton before looking to the notably empty seats next to the Ventrue. "Mr. Northbridge. I take it your partner is delayed?" Probably bolted. Maybe dead. Either way, we're one short here, and that doesn't speak well for our odds. Odds can be measured many ways though, there may be another way to even them...

Equipment: Broadsword, Reinforced Jacket, Messenger Bag, Smart Phone, Notebook w/ Pencil & Pen, Wallet

[Helen Kingsley]

Helen follows Conner into Nox. She's left her jacket and the other things she would have to give up to wardrobe services in the car outside. She doesn't need them in here, so why bring them inside after all ? It leaves her in her usual outfit of jeans and t-shirt, a dark blue one tonight. An attentive observer or listener however, will notice she's switched the usual trainers for a pair of Army boots, even if she is wearing the jeans over them. A message bag is slung over her shoulder. She's tried to prepare for the onslaught, but again, despite all preparation, she has to push through the sensation that makes her want to run. Too many people here...

"Mr Northbridge."

She occupies another free seat at the table and pulls her notepad and the pencil from the bag. Time to compare notes, as it looks. Hm, looks like Ms Carter isn't there yet. Or perhaps she won't show up in the first place ? She thinks back to Miltons messages. Well, they'll see soon enough.

Equipment: Notepad, pencil, Smartphone, cell phone, lighter, pack of cigarettes, wallet (on person). Pocket knife, pepper spray, telescopic baton, reinforced jacket, .357 Magnum, pair of handcuffs and EMT first aid Kit (locked in car)

[Milton]

"Ah, Pastor Wells," Milton says, looking up from the computer with his bland smile. And then Helen appears behind the Shadow. Her unmasked Beast provokes his own Monster. That smile tightens, edges toward a grimace, and then relaxes again as he forces the Thing inside him back into its cage. "And Ms. Kingsley. How wonderful. Please, join me."

When they're both settled, he fixes Conner with his unblinking gaze. "Quite right. Ms. Carter will not be in attendance this evening. She departed early on during our visit to the factory. For all I know, she is no longer in the city." Milton has only been in the domain for a year, but already so many have left. He turns his attention to Helen, "As the Lady Notary Hazelton once told me, Sacramento is a crucible."

He glances down at his computer screen, as if remembering the task at hand. "But, perhaps it's best if we discuss that later. I'm eager to share what I've discovered. And to hear from you."

With that, he will take two pieces of paper from the file next to him and slide them across the table to each of his interlocutors. "On that paper, you will find the details of one Mr. Mark Jacobs." The information includes his address. "Recently employed at the factory in question. Mr. Jacob was fired upon his return from a long sick leave. He was, apparently, becoming violent with his colleagues on the factory floor." A wry look. "I had a lengthy visit with the C-suite leadership on site. And this was the best lead I could find. His contact information was discovered separately. I pulled some strings at the unemployment office..." Milton trails off, giving them a chance to look over the information. And to respond.

[Conner Wells]

Conner's frustration is palpable, but he couldn't say he knew Ms. Carter well enough to suspect treachery. Archon Twist must be sorely disappointed. The Daeva will need a lot of work before they're trusted in the Domain. He nods in response. "I've got a few options to close the gap in our roster, but first we can discuss what we've found and see if we need the help." The name drop of Ms. Hazelton draws a raised eyebrow from Conner to Helen, but the Shadow holds his tongue. We all have our connections. The question is how they're used.

Conner looks over the dossier from Milton, and he can't help but be impressed at the conciseness of the information. The Ventrue was nothing if not thorough. "Ms. Kingsley and I found a bar called 'Babylon' in the Industrial District; Mr. Jacobs used to be a regular there until he was hospitalized for cancer. We suspect he was turned by someone at least familiar with the Lancea Sanctum." There's just a bit of venom in the last two words, making it clear that he thinks the Mr. Jacob's Sire was clearly high on his hit list. "The Sire's in the wind, so Babylon's bartender, Max, had been trying to keep Mr. Jacobs out of trouble. But Max's concern was being ignored." He looks to Helen to encourage her corroboration. "We actually ran into Mr. Jacobs prior to meeting Max, but he escaped. We know he's skilled in Obfuscate at least to the point of cloaking himself entirely, so no certainty on what Clan sired him. Before he left we did notice he was still wearing his hospital gown, so he's probably been relying on his victims or some other theft to supply him with clothes. He was also armed with a pistol...you mentioned he had a history of violence with his co-workers?" He scans the dossier to see if there were any specific incidents cited.

"Max also gave us Mr. Jacob's last known address and the keys to the Babylon's cellar. I figure if we find Mr. Jacobs and we need someplace secure for an extended conversation, we could use the cellar." The phrase 'extended conversation' is clearly loaded to mean 'interrogate'.

At any rate, his list of possible new additions to the team roster had grown shorter. But he would wait for the discussion to continue before suggesting anything.

[Helen Kingsley]

Helen looks over the papers provided by Milton. Impressive, she has to give him that. As Conner raises an eyebrow in her direction, she looks at him and gives him a light shrug in response.

"Yes, she likes saying that." Apparently, because it's pretty damn true. As Conner elaborates, she nods along and makes a few notes on her notepad, at least that's what it looks like. So Jacobs has a pistol ? Good to know, Helen didn't notice a gun in that particular moment... There are a few points where her opinion about what they know differs from Conner's, but she's saving this until he's finished.

"So, most important of all, the folks don't get killed on site. Mr Wells found drag marks, pretty weak and very easy to miss that support the Police's findings. A nearby homeless encampment was also attacked, I suspect to scare away the tenants so there's no witnesses, even if that opens more questions, but that's for later. I think the most important thing we can take away from this is the bodies are supposed to be found and if they are, on the killer's terms." She's tempted to add that that is not a good thing, but that much should be obvious.

"We also found a blood graffiti in a back alley on a back wall of that Babylon place. Mr Wells pointed out its from the Testament of Longinus, hence familarity with the Lancea. But yeah, Jacobs had stage 4 lung cancer. That's the bad stuff you normally don't get better from. Well, he still has it, but it's not going to kill him anymore, someone else already did that, according to this Max, he think's he's been cured." Which he sort of is, but then again, technically not. "Also according to Max, Jacobs didn't know too much about his condition when he popped back up. No looking mortal, nothing. But he's a fast one and knows how to obfuscate, that's certain.

Thats pretty much the facts plus a little bit of hearsay and conjecture. The papers confirm some parts of Max' story, but I think he won't mind if we don't take it as gospel. Jacobs and the address as well as Jacons' behaviour check out, though. Max suspected Jacobs uses his newly found 'invincibility' (she stresses the word enough to make the inverted commas actually audible) to settle some scores from way back when. Maybe he does, maybe not. That whole mess leaves us with some questions, though.

One, who put the graffiti up and why ? Especially in a spot where its unlikely to get much exposure.
Two, would Jacobs go through all that trouble to settle a few scores ?
Three, who sired Jacobs and why ? Are there any more outside like him ?
Four, how did the Testament get involved ? Is some cult or group or gang going overboard or is it a frame-job ?

Anyway, from what we know so far, Jacobs' been sticking around Babylon for a few months now, so I think he has seen something, heard something or knows something. I'm not convinced he's our man, though."

Some things still don't add up here. She looks at the other two. "What do you think ?"

[Milton]

Conner's sentiment concerning a replacement for Wei Lin is met with a nod of concurrence. "Agreed," Milton replies and then yields the floor to the other Kindred.

Milton listens closely and, despite himself, is impressed with the information his investigative partners have amassed. As they speak, he's alternately looking between the pair and tapping away at his computer. Taking notes in a short hand he's confident could not be deciphered by an outsider.

The mention of Jacobs' facility with obfuscate is troubling. Milton sits back, considers, fixes his eyes on Conner, "I am aware of your family's...powers of perception. Would you be able to see through his little trick, should that be necessary?" It's good to know the capabilities of one's colleagues, after all.

Helen's list of open question has Milton nodding in full agreement. "A very exhaustive account of the variables. And a thoughtful one as well." Milton means his words as a compliment.

"It seems to me that the place to start is with Mr. Jacobs himself. Once we have an understanding as to the extent of his...involvement, not to mention his origins, we'll get a better sense of where we stand. And the amount of...sprawl involved."

A pause, and then: "That leaves the question of how we arrange a...meeting with the gentleman. Of course, once that detail is settled, I am more than happy to ensure his full cooperation with our inquiries." Read: Milton will crack this childe's mind like a walnut and scoop out what they need.

"To my mind, our options would be to approach him at his home or at Babylon. This would require a certain level of surveillance. Or, perhaps in the latter case, we can rely on your new...friend, Max, to alert us when Mr. Jacobs has made an appearance at the club and then intercept him there."

Unremarkable, brown eyes travel from Conner to Helen and back again, curious as to which approach they might prefer.

[Conner Wells]

Conner nods. "Of course. Should Mr. Jacob's try to hide again, I can see through his illusions." He was eager to shut down Mr. Jacobs; show him what a Vampire who knew what he was doing could accomplish.

Was that...anticipation in Milton's voice he heard. Careful Northbridge, you almost sound excited. ​Conner smirks at Milton's veiled niceties. "I'm sure that won't be a problem. He doesn't seem to be the most stoic of creatures." He was glad Milton was on their side. So long as he doesn't get any ideas. He leans back in his chair. "I agree that Mr. Jacobs is our best lead. I'm not sure he'll return to the Babylon if he knows we'll be watching it. But I like the idea of staking out his home." The pun isn't lost on him, and he smiles grimly. "We might also find some evidence towards who sired him or what made him familiar with the Testament of Longinus. Max seemed to think he didn't have any visitors other than himself, so I'm sure a search should be easy. And if we're looking for a secure location for your...persuasive techniques...then we can use the Babylon cellar." The worry there would be transportation, but he was sure Mr. Jacobs would fold under pressure. Maybe they could even persuade him to come willingly? And while we're at it, why don't we wish for a unicorn?

[Helen Kingsley]

"Well, we told him to give us a call if he gets any more graffitis or if Jacobs turns up again. He hasn't so I'd say unless Max hasn't noticed him or other stuffs going on, Jacobs has not returned, as Max said he probably won't, now that others have seen him around. It's not necessarily all there is to it, but seems to check out at least, for now. So we're better off with the home address."

Provided it is his home address, that is. Again, she's more than willing to assume that Max hasn't told them everything or changed the tune of the story a little. Out there, everything's possible...

"Now me, this guy is trying to be helpful, I get that, but I still don't really think we should overly rely on him. I bet he's more than happy if he has us out of his hair again, one way or the other. And that address could be trouble, too. I mean, it was pretty easy to find, right ?"

She gives both a meaningful look that also sort of helps disguise her unease about how okay these guys are about them... persuasive techniques. Most of the things she knows that go with that euphemism are pretty fucked up, and that doesn't even add fanger stuff into the mix.

"So I'd say we pay the place a visit and prepare for some bad stuffs. Question's how we want to play it. I mean, the guy can obfuscate and knows the area. We go straight at him and he escapes, chances are we'll spend a lot of time and elbow grease trying to find him again, and Sacramento's way big... He slips through those cracks and his place has nothing, we're back to waiting to see if more bodies roll in. So, what's the options ? We can treat him as a potential ally or treat him as an enemy. We can do that the sneaky way or not. Me, I'm not good at sneaky and if I get too close he'll know I'm there."

[Milton]

"Very good to know, Pastor Wells."

Milton returns Conner's smirk, both politely vacuous and terribly inhuman in equal measure. "Stoic or not, Mr. Jacobs will tell us the truth. As far as he is able. I can promise you that."

Attention turns to Helen: "I'm not saying we trust this Max." Milton's tone reflects a touch of incredulity at the very thought. "But, we can impress upon him the necessity of his assistance. The alternatives would not be pleasant for him." After all, several of Her Grace's laws had been broken during the course of this affair. "I'm sure that will render him a bit more...reliable. Should we require his cooperation."

Read Helen's Emotions, 2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2022-01-23 10:39:07	Milton rolls 4 to Wits + Empathy (10 Again)	4, 4, 9, 10, 6	2 successes

His bland smile is caustic around the edges as he continues: "I wouldn't say it was easy." Milton had spent some time working his contacts at city hall for the information. "You do have a point though," he says to Helen, "we must think of our approach carefully."

He sits back, face going blank as he ponders the matter. And then, something happens. Milton almost looks pleased. He straightens, composes himself.

"What," he begins, "if Mr. Jacobs is approached, not by Kindred inquiring after a series of murders, but by the foremost representative of the Lancea Sanctum within the domain?" Or, what amounts to the same thing, the only member of the Church of consequence in the city. Those lifeless eyes find Conner again. "What if, rather than staking out his home, this representative left an official message for Mr. Jacobs, requesting a meeting? Concerning matters of the faith, of course." He cups his chin and lips with a hand, seeming to hide a smile. "Perhaps Mr. Jacobs would be more willing to parlay. He may even come to us of his own free will..." The poor whelp. Trailing off now, yielding the floor to his interlocutors.