(2205) Formal Court

[Connor OBrien]

The tell-tale clicking of Derby shoes on the stairs precede the appearance of Connor O'Brien. The Haunt is dressed to the nines in a black 3-piece tuxedo with a light gray lapel. The chain of a pocket watch hangs from a button on his vest into his left pocket. He wears no jewelry beyond that.

He pauses for a moment, allowing beasts both weaker and stronger to wash over him. A minor scowl flashes on his face as he rolls his neck, shoving his own beasts reaction away from the forefront of his mind.

His first stop is just outside of conversation distance with the Prince, where he bows deeply and stays that way for roughly 5 beats of the human heart before moving on to the Seneschal. Once he's in front of the Lord, he bows for roughly 4 beats of the heart then rises and moves on. Lastly, he stops before Twist. She is offered a bow for roughly 3 beats of the heart and a smile as he rises.

Respects paid, the Haunt moved on to the others. He bowed from the shoulders to Jennifer and offered nods of respect to all others in attendance before deciding to stand and speak with the Priscus as he watches the rest of the crowd. "Lady Notary, wonderful to see you tonight."

[William Walker]

William Smiled at Albert. "Good evening, we meet again! I was hoping our paths would cross again. I am William Walker." William had not been happy that he was not able to speak with the gentleman last time he was at court. "Its a pleasure to meet you..."

Continued in William & Albert Baker...

[R Quartermain]

He hated being late. His beast prowled along the inside of his mind as some pushback from the city seemed to forestall every attempt to arrive at court promptly. Logically, he knew that this was the simple vagaries of fate and chance – but his belief in the structures and rules of the Estate were so profound that it did not matter; he was late. Others of greater rank had arrived before him, and that meant, simply, he was late.

Some part of his mind berated himself for the failure; he should have left earlier. He should have arranged travel routes differently. He should have learned more rites to allow him to move through the city smoothly. On and one his beast recited the failures and weaknesses of his mind, riling him with baleful red eyes shining out from red light after red light after red light.

An impossibly long few minutes later, however, the car was pulling over in front of the Elysium and the soldier stalked from it towards the Court. Xan, wisely, kept her fool mouth shut having seen her regnant in those occasional fits of internal pique.
He paused, closing his eyes, before he reached the door and took a single, slow, un-needed breath, mentally roaring his defiance towards the beast inside his soul. The structures of the Invictus meant that that soul was Unconquered and he would be damned to see himself lose composure in front of the Court and the Estate.

4 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2022-05-06 10:45:43	R Quartermain rolls 5 to Composure + Subterfuge to Hide Emotions (10 Again)	2, 7, 8, 5, 10, 10, 9	4 successes

His face schooled to polite normalcy, despite his pride and beast warring inside him, he entered. He paused a few steps inside the Elysium, and offered a deep bow towards the Prince first – slightly deeper and slightly longer than he normally might by way of apology for his tardiness, before following it with a similar bow, if slightly reduced, towards the Seneschal. Finally, he offered a last, shallower yet, bow, towards Twist, before nodding his greetings to the various members of the court in attendance as he went to one side to find a place to watch the room, his eyes tracking over the unknown faces with curious interest.

[Helen Kingsley]

The other kindred fill in one after another as time passes. Helen has the advantage of a decent vantage point and thus armed with the required overview, she puts on the moves. The deepest curtsy for the Prince, followed by Seneshal and Iudex and finally the last remaining Priscus in the room, Jennifer. After that, she offers nods of acknowledgement, in return to those she has received and that's about it. Looks like Vincenzo isn't too sociable blow certain pay grades tonight...

But that's a Vincenzo problem, not hers.

And then there's Conner Wells ! As he approaches, she turns in his direction and carefully leans against the piano.

"Can't complain really. Some personnal cycling. Not the first time, not the last, you know how that goes. What about yours, Mr. Wells ?"

Continued over here

[Quinn Durant]

Quinn ignored coat check as she descended the stairs. Her dress was a simple yet elegant asymmetrical dress with a shortened train, appropriate for modern length but a touch of the romantic as the color was a delicate blush that set off against her ethnic skin tone. It had a dramatic slit up her right leg, and was finished off with a pair of dyed to match pointed toed flats. Some practicality had to come before fashion these days.

When she descended the stairs she felt the ebb and flow of the unmasked beasts in the room. Some she wished to chase, others retreat from. The beast lashing at its mystical bindings. Really Quinn had the beast to thank in part for the final nail in the coffin of leaving the Dragons. She didn't believe it was possible to surmount that thing inside of all them. After facing it during the Chrysalis, there was no doubt in Quinn's mind that true transcendence of their condition was not possible. That dream had died, and other things took its place.

Quinn paid the appropriate respect to her Grace, Alessandra, the Seneschal, and the Arcon. Wasting not a moment to do so, before entering court proper. She gave nods or smiles to the different Kindred and returned their salutations.

She had been doing a lot of observation lately. Weighing different Kindred and their merits. She was on the hunt for Deputies. Court was a wonderful time to listen and evaluate her fellow Kindred.

[Jennifer Hazelton]

Her observance led her to see that the Prince had entered. That awe and terror inspiring Beast was impossible to miss. Jennifer has observed the Prince’s nod. Jennifer moved smoothly into a curtsy, holding it for the perfect amount of time to show deep respect for the Prince of the Domain.
Jennifer bends into a deep curtsy towards Seneschal Jack. A shade shallower than the Prince would receive. Her small nod as she rose indicates that she noted the respect that the Seneschal has paid to her.
Then the Archon Twist is given a curtsy. This is held for a length of time to indicate deep respect for the Archon. Who happens to also be the leader of Jennifer’s Covenant. Dark brown eyes had noted the Archon’s own greeting to Jennifer, which she appreciated.
Jennifer then looks to Priscus Durant, now Reeve of Sacramento. Jennifer makes a deep nod.

Jennifer now gives Whip O’Brien a nod befitting an acknowledged member of the Domain.

“Good evening, Whip O’Brien. I trust that you have been well?"

Her Cursed voice lingers in the air.

[Seryna]

The young coterie hasten to offer proper curtsies and a bow to the Prince. Then to the Seneschal, respectfully holding themselves away from the Domain Officials. Then a deep bow to the Archon.
The coterie gives lesser bow and curtsies to the Reeve. Then a nod to the Nosferatu Priscus.
The coterie of Ms. Sánchez, Ms. Clark’s friends and Mr. Jake, take a seat at the seating area and speak quietly to one another. Observing.

Mr. Anthony Hoyle bows to the Prince with all due respect. The respects continue to be paid with a deep bow to the Seneschal. Then a deep bow to the Archon.
Mr. Hoyle gives a bow to the Mekhet Priscus and Reeve. Then a nod to the Nosferatu Priscus. The gentleman is white - haired, respectable looking. Connor recognizes the Kindred as Mr. Anthony Hoyle, of the line Ventrue. Mr. Hoyle is known to have been around Sacramento in the 40s, although he then moved to New York for a few decades. Supposedly training a protégé, the rumors say. Mr. Hoyle has been seen in the background of Sacramento from 1970 onward.
The other Kindred that have lingered in the masses: Ms. Perez, Mr. Waldorf, and then Mr. Vincenzo, make their respects to the Prince. Then a shade shallower, yet still deep, bows to the Seneschal. Deep bows to the Archon. The three individually paid the appropriate respect to the Reeve.
Vincenzo notices Conner and gives a deeper nod to Conner.

Feel free to skip the NPCs in future rounds unless your character is addressing them.

[Jacque]

The parties gathered and the Lord watched the gears of decorum turn. Playing his part, he bowed deepest to Alessandra before offering a deep nod to Twist, followed by a slightly shallower one to Quinn and last but not least, an acknowledging nod to Jennifer.

Not everything was as expected this evening, but for once he was glad he was not at the center of it. He was close enough to it for him to take notice, but after the long tradition set by Mable it was someone else's turn to remind the nightlife of basic decorum if they so chose.

Well, in the absence of a Keeper at least.

[Alessandra]

A nod of respect was offered to Twist, with a small smile, as she entered the room. Her dress, while stunning, wasn’t quite what she had come to expect from the Judex. A note was taken to touch base with her.

Dark eyes then lock on two targets. Who seemed to be enjoying a conversation, but lacking basic manners. Was this not addressed already with Mable? Did people not remember her screw-ups? Did there need to be a fucking sign or power point presentation? The thoughts give her a chance to pause, and collect her thoughts before walking over. There was another she wanted to speak with, but this needed to be addressed.

A look was given to Quinn Durant and Jacque . She would trust the Priscus to fix this problem after she brings attention to it. Though why she has to bring attention to it is beyond her.

Long strides brought her over to William and Albert. The slit in her dress showing the ink that covered her leg as she moved.

Ale makes a quick stop at THIS conversation before returning to the main thread

Her peace said, she walks over to R Quartermain , a smile offered. “Alder Solder Quartermain, you’re looking handsome this evening. How have you been?”

[Conner Wells]

As the Court begins to fill up, Conner feels that suffocating pressure in his gut to lash out at the gathering monsters. But this time it's a bit different. There's fewer calls to run and hide and more to snarl and bite; to push out the weak. For someone who's been so long used to the nagging presence of fear, and the validation of conquering it, it's a surprise. And not entirely a welcome one. To whom much is given, much will be asked...nothing comes without a price.

He sees Albert approaching William and allows himself the distraction of familial satisfaction. Albert had seemed much more cautious when he first arrived, and now he was seeking out interactions. Perhaps he'll come out of his shell as time goes on. Not like we had it easy out first go-round. Then that gut-urge sneaks back in and shocks him into reality. The bigger monsters had come...

Conner bows in recognition to the Prince, Archon, and Reeve as they enter. Quinn in particular receives a warm look amidst the gesture of respect. He also returns the nod of respect from Vincenzo. He's been getting to know the man a bit more as they've been tidying up the Moore House. As his gaze hovers around the crowd, the warmth turns to a nagging unease. There are a few faces that are missing here...

But there's another, more pleasant distraction to be found as Helen answers him...

Continued in (2205) What's up, your Eminence ?...