Mekhet and Nosferatu Meeting

[Jennifer Hazelton]

The two-story salon had an artistic styled sign across the entrance with the name Lotus. The location of the building, nestled on a walkway near other artistic stores. The lighting within the salon allowed one to see the space, yet was dim. When you move through the entranceway, a walk-in coat check where Liam waited to accept coats and accessories was to the left. The next door led to a small room with a few seats along the wall, yet mostly open space. This space was where ghouls and proxies were sent while business was conducted. A small hallway with two locked doors led to an upstairs area, reserved for a small office area for managing the salon.
Liam leads guests as they arrive down a hall. You leave behind the small yet well-appointed study that Helen has visited. The meeting room was walked past, the open door showing a carefully constructed meeting place. The medium sized room with some artwork on the walls to reflect and converse on.
When one follows Liam down the hall, one would pass a table with a white table cloth. Two large glass globes with small openings at the top were set on this table. Within these globes, lotus flowers floated in clear water.
You arrive at a small ballroom. The room was appointed in finery and spared no expense, decorated tonight in green and gold. There are expansive brocades of gold and green silk draped over the walls.

There is great room to stand in the center to converse. To even dance. A look around reveals a long table with a green tablecloth set up with some floral strands of white roses.
There was a sitting area facing the hallway with five comfortable arm chairs, each arranged for conversation.

The music playing in the ballroom

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VB1RvyfISM&t=9023s This is what is playing at Lotus that the characters are listening to

[Albert Baker]

Al arrived at Lotus clad in a white suit with his striped tie and the usual accessories. He greeted Liam with a nod and left his coat and hat at the wardrobe but kept his briefcase on his person as well as a larger flat package. Following the ghoul through the building he took the time to look at the surroundings. Arriving at the ballroom and seeing nobody there he positioned the briefcase and package in one of the chairs and stood beside it, listening to the music.

[Jennifer Hazelton]

Jennifer entered from the upstairs area, closing and locking the door up to the offices behind her. Jennifer was wearing a green buisiness suit with a skirt. She wore a thick green shawl, carefully pinned to hide one side of her neck and shoulder. Her jewelry was subdued tonight, a ring to celebrate the alliance and the ring that she had made last year to celebrate an important relationship. She was Blushed.
She walks into the ballroom and smiles winsomely at Albert Baker.

"Priscus Baker. You are the first to arrive. Thank you for attending the meeting for our alliance to get to know one another and appraise one another of what is happening. Is the music to your liking?" Her voice slithers like a snake through the Air, her Curse always asserting itself.

[Jennifer Hazelton]

Jennifer looks around the ballroom. The nosferatu noticed that the others invited were not arriving in a timely manner.
"Only one person had the courtesy to send me an RSVP. Has Whip Wells told you that he was unable to attend?"
Jennifer inquired.

"As it is only the two of us now, I have been curious about meeting with you to go over your books on the occult. Since our discussion on the subject, I have learned Italian. Perhaps I shall find more relevant tomes in Italian." A look of interest to Doctor Baker.

[Albert Baker]

Al smiled in return.

"I thank you for inviting us. Yes, the music is to my liking."

Asked whether Mr. Wells had spoken with him he shook his head.

"I'm afraid, Mr. Wells hasn't contacted me about that. Maybe he'll be arrive a bit later. Your clan is yet to come as well, after all."

When she talked about meeting for discussion about occult books he nodded.

"We can certainly do that, though we'd probably have to work with 'study versions' I had put together in the Thirties as some of the books I have are old, valuable and quite fragile."

He pondered the point of her having learned Italian for a moment.

"That is good. It helps a bit with Latin I was told. There are books on occultism in Italian I think but rather on niche topics. The 'big ones' are mostly in Latin."

He took three bottles out of his briefcase and put them on the table.

"A small gift. Cypriot wine, strong yet full of flavour. My brother Fred liked it very much."

[Conner Wells]

As Conner ducks into the Lotus, skin flush with stolen life, he's immediately swept into the locations' ambience as his naturally heightened senses engage. It's very different from the Elysium upper levels with the resonant thud and thrum of the dance music; here the music lilts and sways almost lazily through the walls and rafters. It was a place of relaxation where formality was more part of the woodwork than an expectation. I could grow to like this place.

He recognizes Liam immediately. Conner stands back to let Liam perform his ghoulish function and surrenders his coat, revealing a blue button-up and grey dress pants. He's dressed for movement and regality today. The ghoul leads him up the hallway and knocks on the door to allow the latecomer to enter. Once he's clear of the threshold, Conner takes in those present so far. He gives the Priscii nods of respect. "Priscus Baker, pleased to see you well. Priscus Hazelton, my apologies for neglecting to RSVP. I hope this will help make up for the tardiness." He pulls back shadow from an object in his hand, and reveals a bouquet of roses and lilies, their red and white splashes complimented with green ribbon and a faux-mosaic vase. "A little life for the new space." And just a bit of Invictus iconography.

[Jennifer Hazelton]

"We have spoken of your different academic interests, Priscus Baker. Yet have we spoken on if you have a preference when it comes to music? My tutor in Blood Gifts, the Alder Lady Notary Chappelle, was fond of violins. The music accompanied most of our talks."

A quiet settled as the Priscus evaluates the Mekhet Priscus.
"Ah, a gift." Jennifer accepts it and looks it over. "Ah, what an excellent choice. My thanks, Priscus Baker."
She holds it for a moment more, appreciating it. "Shall we share a drink?"
Jennifer turns and raises her eyes to scan the doorway. Her Clan did not appear. This made her Beast writhe within it's cage within her ribs. Anger brewed.

Dark eyes tick to the other who arrived late. She watches him for a long beat. Two. "Whip Wells." Her Cursed voice bids a polite greeting. "Thank you.'
A hand moves slightly to her left and Liam appears at her elbow to graciously accept the wine. Jennifer accepted the bouquet and inspected it, reading the signs within.
"Ordinarily, tardiness would suggest some disrespect. Yet perhaps there is some road block outside." For Bellemy and Helen were nowhere to be found. Did they not say that they wanted this alliance?
"How beautiful. I think they shall brighten the space." Jennifer set the bouquet on the long table with them.

"Enough time has passed for those who wish to be here to present themselves. I suggest that we speak on our alliance. Shall we sit?" Jennifer strode with confidence to the sitting area and took a seat.
"I am curious what your thoughts are, Whip Wells. I have spoken with Priscus Baker. Could you share your thoughts?"

[Albert Baker]

Al nodded on the question and elaborated.

"I'm quite fond of classical music: Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, Handel, Vivaldi or Haydn... Particularaly strings, as they are quieter and more suited to introspection than piano or organs. And most opera, though for example I can't stand Wagner, as the wife of my brother Dwin fancied it and thought herself capable of singing it..."

After a short shudder due to the memory, he watched her taking the bottles with a slight smile.

"You're welcome."

He nodded upon being asked whether to partake in his gift.

"But only a small glass, please. It is, to quote Fred, 'savage stuff, if you're not used to it'."

Then there happened to be another visitor, while the rest of those invited were still waited for.

"Good evening, Mr. Wells. A pleasure to see you well."

[Helen Kingsley]

Helen enters a bit after Conner. She's painfully aware she's late, but then, little to be done about it.

Still, she is familiar with Lotus, at least a little. And as with Elysium, she comes prepared enough Liam doesn't have to do... anything really, except take her to the meeting space. The music, well, doesn't sound too bad, but it's not down her alley all the way. The way the rest is dressed doesn't help with not feeling slightly out of place, so she's dressed for comfort tonight. Dark blue t-shirt and jeans, the new dark shoes she's wearing are her concession to the nature of the place they're meeting at.

As she joins the others, each of the kindred present is given a nod. "Priscus Hazelton, please accept my apologies for being late." She underlines this with the offer of a wrapped item that is roughly bottle-shaped. "Priscus Baker, good evening." "Pastor Wells, nice to see you."

[Conner Wells]

"So I'd hoped, Priscus Hazelton." He's glad to see the gift has performed both its intended purposes. He likewise gives Alfred a welcome nod, glad to see his fellow Shadow giving a warm reception.

Conner takes a seat, looking over the two Priscii. He's about to speak when Helen enters, he gladly accepts her gift ​How ironic to give wine when we can't always enjoy it. and welcomes her with a modest smile. "Reeve Kingsley, welcome." ​With a full complement of two Mekhet and two Nosferatu gathered, Conner collects himself as he answers Jennifer's question. "Our two Clans are uniquely positioned especially in recent nights: more and more our natural abilities of stealth and perception are being called into action in the Domain. That and we each represent Covenant ideologies present in the Domain between us." He looks between Jennifer Invictus, Helen, Carthian, Albert, Crone, and himself Lancea​. He doesn't mention the Ordo Dracul, seeing as how since Quinn left the local presence of that Covenant had been ground into dust. Though he knew there were plenty of unaligned, motivated Kindred in the Domain. "Together we stand to achieve more than alone." He's pretty sure Quinn said those before, verbatim. It didn't feel like parroting to him though, since her words resonated so strongly with him. "Though I'm interested to hear Reeve Kingsley's thoughts as well, coming from her Clan." ​And given that, as far as he knew, Helen was his contemporary in Clan Nosferatu.