(Confidants) A Ruby in the Barrens

[Seryna]

The address that Helen was given takes her to the corner gas station in the Barrens. The area is rundown. Helen spotted two closed stores on the way in. One 24 hour store stands open and seems to be doing the best business in the area. At the address Helen was given, she takes in the scene. A few cars are parked at the pumps. Some are pumping gas. Two people stand in the darkened corner of the parking lot, hands in pockets. Deep in conversation. There are a lot of upturned coat collars and hats pulled down low. Nobody seems to be looking at anyone very closely.

Under an old, withered California black walnut tree, a figure steps out as Helen approaches the gas station. The figure is wearing a long black wool coat. The woman has dark hair pulled into a no - nonsense braid. She wears a blue scarf with a silver spider pin. No Beast is displayed.

[Helen Kingsley]

Rundown area, two closed stores, not too many people. It's the barrens alright ! Helen has parked the car a few blocks away. She doesn't mind a little hike and getting too close to the specified point ? Her car's just too conspicuos for that. So she walks the rest of the way. She's brought her usual assortment of things in cases there's trouble: The expendable baton, a can of pepperspray, chapstick and a roll of quarters. This time, however, she's decided to bring the gun as well, hidden in the holster under the leather jacket. Hands at her sides, she walks the rest of the way to where the figure emerges from underneath some tree. She's clad in a dark green t-shirt underneath the jacket, jeans, trainers and wears her Seattle Seahawks cap.

Still, she keeps her ears and eyes open. Just in case someone of the more weasel-ly looking persuasion shows up. Helen's fair sure she can keep one of those off her ass long enough, but she also knows there's more. Sure pays to be careful !

5 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2022-12-21 14:43:49	Helen Kingsley rolls 6 to Anything suspicios around ? (Perception 6 Wits+Comp) (10 Again)	5, 1, 10, 7, 8, 10, 10, 5, 8	5 successes

[Seryna]

There were suspicious people around. Helen could see that the two men standing in the shadows appeared to be handling a dug deal with some terse words and then a quick hand off. Looking around, the other people appear to be trying not to look at anyone too closely. The Barrens was a place for those shoved out of the suburbs.

[Helen Kingsley]

So far, nothing out of the ordinary for the time and place, then, she concludes. Well, thats something !

"So you're the kid Al has been talking about. Nice to finally meet, how've you been ?"

She doesn't really see a need to introdce herself. All things considered, it seems Rowland does have a pretty good idea who she is. So Helen just pushes her hands into her pockets.

"Alright, how you'd like to do this ?"

[Seryna]

"Well, I have been stressed." The Kindred concealing her Beast confides to Helen. "I saw that one searching for me at court the other night. Yet I spoke to the Boss Lady. I promised to try and solve this and clear my name."
The Kindred paused and looked around the area. Scanning the people moving around who seemed to not want to be seen. She does this for a moment to decide that she was safe to continue.
"I have taken over a closed down shop a block down if you are comfortable talking there. If not, I can talk here for a few. I don't see the harpies. You think that proper woman would come down here?"

[Helen Kingsley]

"Sounds like a good place to start, I guess. Especially with that other folks after you, remaining here without acknowledgement is a good way to get people..." She ponders for a moment until the right word comes up "...predisposed against you and your problem." And that's putting it lightly. Asked where she wants to go for a talk, she shrugs. "Whatever you like better, really." Would someone like McIntyre pop up in a placw like this, though ? Its a good question and like most of those, not really easy to answer. "If she can blend in and has the right skills, she might, if someone gives her a reason to look here. But then, I think she's got people with her that might do that for her. At least someone told me she's brought some... Hostewick. And if she's in the boatoing club, she might simply pay some amateur PIs to keep their eyes open, really. Still means she'd have to have a reason to look, but then, there's always court."

[Seryna]

"Yes, Albert thought that it was a good idea. I was a bit nervous about announcing my position, since the Boss Lady is in the same social club as the other one. It seems to be going alright, though. I have temporary acknowledgement."

"Hostewick." Ruby looks concerned. "That's a special-" A glance around their area. "Something we should discuss in privacy."
As Helen seems to be nuetral on where to go to talk, Ruby leads Helen to the farthest closed store. The sign out front starts with an 'S', yet every other part is lost to time. The front windows are boarded up. Ruby moves with confidence to the rear of the building. She walks up to a rear window and reveals that the board has been pried off and placed back. Ruby lifts the board and gestures for Helen to enter the boarded up building.
If she does, Ruby enters after Helen, letting the board fall back into place. It gives the illusion that the store is still closed up.

[Helen Kingsley]

"Guess that still means you should keep your head down and not let too many folks know where you live for the time being. Especially if these others are also still around."

Aaand there they are again. Helen doesn't mind feeling stupid once in a while, she is, in some regards, but this is going on her nerves...

"Alright, lead the way."

Helen follows Ruby to the store and enters the building when Ruby makes clear she's supposed to. She waits for Ruby to reattach the board and takes the time to have a short look over the interior of the shop.

"Okay, I find myself asking that question way more often than I'd like, but what the fuck is a Hostewick ?"

[Seryna]

"Yeah, I have been keeping to the place Albert knows I'm at unless I have to eat." Ruby agrees.
Once inside the abandoned storefront, the two Kindred stand in a quiet, dark back room. This room has been swept clean of dust. Ruby sets a dark sheet over the jerry - rigged wooden board. There are two counter tops in this room. One has an electric lantern that Ruby lights now that the light is less likely to peek through. Ruby has rigged an old, rickety looking bookcase halfway across the hallway into the main store room. No one can access this room from the front of the store without going through the book case and alerting you both. Although it would take you a moment to toss the thing aside and move through the store front if you need to leave quickly. No sweeping has been done in the main room - its all shadowy, spiderwebs strewn across cheap abandoned shelving units. Anything of value is long gone.

Ruby settles herself on the floor, sitting comfortably cross legged.
"It is an elite type of ghoul, from a Ghoul Family bred and maintained by the Invictus." Ruby answers. "They likely have special training, yet no Invictus I talked to is open about it. Maybe you have an Invictus member that is more friendly to you?" A keen look to Helen.
"The elite coterie back in my home city has a few of them. I was once in Court all night and then noticed a Hostewick had been standing practically at my elbow, watching everyone. Dude was super stealthy in a room full of people. Yes, Madame McIntyre is a part of the elite coterie and it looks like she has her own Hostewick ghoul now.

What have you and Albert discovered about what Madame McIntyre wants?" She looks eager. She looks quite comfortable settling on a cold, unheated floor. Perhaps she is eager to move out of bland suburbia and back into her usual sort of Havens.

[Helen Kingsley]

"You might want to think about moving so less people know where you are, really."

Helen also looks for a nice spot on the floor, but gets into a squat instead of sitting down. Just to be on the safe side...

"More fun stuff, just add ninjas, eh ? As if this shit wasn't complicated enough already..." She ponders Ruby's suggestion for a bit. "Maybe I have." She doesn't sound too convinced, though.

"She talks like she wants to talk to you. As in interview you for the Reeve of that domain you left. So she's asking folks to keep their eyes and ears open and she's also asked folks who know the city better than her for help. Like me, Al and the local Lancea. That's public, though, who knows what else is going on in the boating club we don't know of. The way she makes it sound is that it's very important to talk to you."

Helen frowns and gets out her notepad and a pencil.

"So, we have to figure out how to go on with all that. But before we get to that, there's two things I'd like to know first. One, what can you tell me about McIntyre ? Two, how do you feel about being interviewed by her in a time and place of your choosing ?"