Get together with the Reeve

[Verity Carmen]

So apparently, I get mail now. Physical mail. I didn’t know that was still a thing. Heading to the Reeve's office meant passing through Nox and Elysia so Verity stops before committing. Focusing on keeping her beast restrained, preparing for the beasts inside. Then she enters.

Dressed rather casually in a white crop top, ripped and faded jeans with a shirt several sizes to large thrown over, serving as a mockery of a coat to keep the cold she doesn’t feel off, but adding a comfy vibe to her look tonight.

The Reeve, Helen, had given out two numbers, detailing which was for what. Verity is racking her brain trying to figure out which person she is meeting tonight. Helen. Or the Reeve. On one hand its in the Reeve’s office on the other it was signed off without titles and the idea of a get together to Verity sounded very informal.

Coming to the office door at [Time, Date] Verity knocks three times and waits.

[Helen Kingsley]

The door opens. Helen stand in the door and is looking over the latest addition to the fold for a bit without saying anything. She's wearing a dark green t-shirt, jeans and trainers, her hair is in a ponytail. Then, she's finished looking the guest up and down.

"Come in."

The inside of the Reeve's office has a dark wood decor. A small table and a number of chairs are in front of the desk, one wall holds what looks like a cross between a bulletin board and a whiteboard and somebody has plastered most walls with maps of Sacramento and the greater city area. Some of those maps have needles with heads in different colours sticking in them, some of those connected by coloured threads or pencil markings, some pinning pictures or photos to locations. On the desk are a phone, a neat small pile of exercise books as well as a typewriter, a rolodex and a tin coffee box with the butts of several pencils sticking out. There's also a picture frame that the visitor can only see the back of.

Helen sits down at the table in front of the desk and makes a gesture towards the other chairs.

"Want a drink or not feeling like puking your guts out later ?" She chuckles. "Guess you wonder why I asked you here, no ?"

[Verity Carmen]

When the door opens and the Reeve stands before Verity, she dips her head ‘How do you do Reeve Kingsley.’ Before looking up and giving the kindred a once over to get a feeling for the Reeves emotional state.

Read the Reeves emotional state 1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-11-11 18:20:25	Verity Carmen rolls 5 to read emotional state (10 Again)	4, 8, 5, 4, 4	1 success

Before offering a smile and entering the office. She looks around taking the gist of the place in, immediately and effortless seeming to pull attention to herself as her very being in the room seems to fill it.

She shakes her head at the offer of a drink. ‘I’m good thank you.’ And takes a seat at the table.

More than a little wondering. Verity crosses one leg over the other closing her posture a little. ‘I must admit I was curious to receive your letter.’

[Helen Kingsley]

"Not too bad. How 'bout you ?"

Helen shrugs as Verity declines the drink. Fair enough, after all. She leans back until the chair's backrest hits the desk, hands folded on her stomach as she looks over Verity again.

"Reasons's twofold. One, I like to see if people are suited to help out with stuffs once they come to town. Also, pays to get to know greenies a little, even if most don't stick around long for whatever reason. Two, I figured you ain't got a Priscus, really and might have questions or other stuffs that you might not want to sling around with everyone present at court or so. So I've brought some questions and stuffs. Did you do as well ?"

Mood

Helen seems curious, but over all in a pretty good mood. There's something else to it, but Verity vcan't decide on what that is.

[Verity Carmen]

The first interaction, setting the tone do I want to flirt? Play my cards close? Play them open? Who is this kindred? The Reeves posture seems fairly relaxed this is a conversation not a chastisement, I think.

Verity opens her posture back up trying to match the tone the Reeve has established. ‘Not to bad can be considered pretty good with everything I hear going on. I’m getting pretty busy myself something I hope to continue.’

To look at Verity her outfit might not be high end or designer brand but she doesn’t need it. Every part of her 5ft 9’ inch self is perfectly symmetrical a body that thins and fills where it needs to and curves flawlessly as expected, everything so much more than just right. Bone structure that would make an artist weep and everything so perfectly proportioned she could have been sculpted by the greatest of masters. Add the thick cascades of auburn hair arranged in a stylishly messy array that she makes look effortless and the full face of make up. Dark purple lipstick coats her full mouth matched by, complimentary eye shadow and eye liner highlighting misty green eyes. Already flawless skin enhanced by pale foundation, and contouring to emphasises the perfect bone structure.

All of this before you take into the air she gives off, that draws eyes in, where they need to go. She fills the viewers gaze. Passively exerting an almost overwhelming sense of self to make you ignore everyone else, firing imaginations and driving people to action. With a voice that sinks into the ear like a sweet and mellifluous hook, musical and pleasant. Verity is a temptation wrapped in the delights of her own self.

All in all, if looking at someone with desire is the same as adultery. Verity has ended thousands of marriages just by existing.

And right now, she sits back straight, shoulders unbent looking at the Reeve with misty green eyes, Smiling pleasantly. Except for when her attention flicks to something under the table, in the corner of the room, by the door. The taunting shadows keeping her from paying full attention and a noted discomfort. This one of many small signs that she still holds to kine behaviour, she blinks even though eyes don’t dry out, she moves her chest miming breath even while not blushed, she fidgets slightly in her place moving her weight. That she does all of these things without stimulus making them out of sync, the give away that a careful observer would note shows her true nature.

‘Oh, I’m quite Eager to help out, I’ve found a few things to ply my talents against already.’ Lips curving in a satisfied smile. Before a look of mild surprise flashes through her green eyes.

‘Reeve Kingsley. A Politically ambitious kindred might have just heard you say you want to fill in for the Priscus of another clan.’ The smile becomes playful not threatening, she drew attention to that for a reason, but not to hold it like a hammer, not in this moment.

‘We both know being present is not a requirement to finding out what people let slip into the night. But yes, I do have questions I could ask.’ Things spoken in secret are not guaranteed to stay that way, how thick are these walls really?

She gestures to the room with a hand, nails painted glossy jet black. ‘But this is your shindig after all please, ask away.’

[Helen Kingsley]

"Oh, like what? Or nothing for public announcement just yet?"

She frowns as Verity talks about the politically ambitious.

"Beats having to beat down folks who missed orientation week and now learn the hard way that ignorance is no excuse. One, you have no Priscus to look to for guidance. Two, you also have no covenant to look to for guidance. Three, greenie orientation is kinda one of court official duties in my opinion. What you do with that once you leave this room? You're a big girl and I'm not really into holding hands at our ages, so whether you make the most of it or toss it because that Reeve bitch is wrong... Your call."

"But okay, some of my stuff first, then. What did you do for a living before all this?" She flicks her finger against one of her canines. "Got any experience on getting people off you you don't want on you by force? What about investigating stuffs?"

[Verity Carmen]

'Lets just call it the meet and greet circuit for now.' not entirely inaccurate.

Sore spot much? The smile drops, her face no less pretty for its absence. However she thought this was going to go it isn't. 'You wanted to get to know me and I just showed you what I do Reeve. I listen and I work with what I hear. If needed I get them to talk.' and for my little demonstration? threats of violence way to push the mould.

'I'm far from witless.' The term greenie was starting to grate a little. 'I knew my situation when I arrived at court. You might say that's rather the point.' my call?, is to listen to everything you say, even if your blunter than a hammer.

For the Reeve's questions Verity is still for a while, its clear the consideration to just not is strong, eventually however concession wins out. 'Political activist.' For every cause and none. 'I say this barely knowing you, if we got into a fight I'd put safe money on you winning.' That didn't hurt as much as it might have. what would is getting into a fight, because that means my skills would have failed somewhere along the way. 'I can investigate stuff, rumours and people more than tracks in the dirt.' You'd be amazed what slip ups people make to impress my pretty face.

[Helen Kingsley]

"So, still activist-ing for political stuff these nights or simply picking up here and there ?"

Meet and greet circuit... Thats one way to name it, Helen guesses.

"You know your situation, but you're new in town. Lots of folks are new in town at one point or the other, but few greenies tend to stick around. Doesn't say anything about your wits, it says something about the learning curve we got.

With more people around, I'd say most people would, but that's not the point. Point is there are folks in town who either don't like fangers or would really like to get one into their collection of whatever. Especially seeing how close those fucks seem to be willing to operate to Elysium... Those tend to not reason with folks a lot. At least they didn't the last time." She doesn't feel the need to mention fun things like staring down a can of suppusedly highly inflammable stuff and things like that. In case Verity is one of those 'Ouch, my fingernail!' types. "Not that timing and luck won't help, but waiting for the cavalry out there ? Time can get really long."

[Verity Carmen]

A shake of her head. 'No the days of placards and marches are behind me.' Radical changes to ones state of being tend to have similarly large changes to ones perspective.

Typical kindred bluster, probably, Verity cracks her shoulder blades, because that's a thing people do when sitting for a while. 'Then please Reeve Kingsley. Enlighten me to this learning curve. I know the traditions I've read the laws, I swore to the prince, as witnessed and accepted by the Seneschal, what am I missing?' What do you do here that isn't replicated across any handful of domains I had to hop through in my travels? Despite her attempt at being blasé Verity actually looks ... hopeful? for something.

An arched eyebrow. How to say we're short on man power in more words. 'I can't fight. Hence I don't plan to get caught. That a city has dangers is nice to be told, but not surprising. Has news of my feeding reached your ears? have I committed some breach? Or are the rumours that percolate centred around the hospital, the kidnapping, The blood hunt.' Besides wouldn't keeping these dangers away from Elysia fall squarely in your department?

But yes, my turn. Lips part into a light smile, she's moving into the part she enjoys. 'The blood hunt is something I've been told to ask around about, is there anything you can tell me of the goings on?' She goes to stop there but just quite can't. 'And would you mind telling me how a Carthian came to serve as Reeve, that's something I can safely say I have not seen yet.' Its something the Daeva can't quite wrap her head around.

[Helen Kingsley]

Helen looks over Verity once more as the Daeva details her departure from old habits. Sorta, at least.

"Not planning to get caught is a pretty shit plan, because as soon as you need to pull out plan B or C, you're fucked. In my experience at least. But that's one of the reasons we're here and that's why I'm making you aware so you can plan accordingly. There are people in town that are pretty bold in making the bad kind of pass on us and we're working on shutting it down. So you gotta be extra careful and trust that gut of yours, maybe more than normally. That's the important takeaway thats not too obvious maybe." Someone's getting defensive... "Dunno, should anything like that have reached me by now ?"

She leans forwards, frowning a little.

"Now don't get me wrong. Your feeding and stuffs are none of my business unless it goes against domain law, as far as I'm concerned. Until it does, I don't care too much. You know the works." It's not all about you guys, as painful as that is. "Three ladies found it a good idea to come into the Domain unannounced and lead a little crusade against an old 'friend' of theirs." Helen is not marking the inverted commas with her hands, but verity can practically hear them. "As they framed somebody for their crimes in another domain and when that somebody came here, they followed and continued to make problems. Also poaching and other stuffs because unannounced. We caught part of them, the rest is still at large. So you come into contact with some woman who looks kinda weassely and also kinda deader than normal people, might be one of them. They're Gangrel, pays to be careful.

Let's just say I like law and order more than what most people have in mind when they hear 'Carthians' and at the time, I was one of very few people interested in the job. Also, me being Carthian isn't that much of an issue because most of the time, I'm also the only Carthian in town. Most others so far didin't last half a year, so turnover's being a bit of a bitch. Which funnily enough also kinda pisses on my work because I constantly have to re-recruit people for investigations and stuff. It eats time like you wouldn't believe it.

Also, just to clarify in case it is important to you: I'm not campaigning for my little club. If you're interested, its something you can get som stuffs on from me, but I'm not going to hand out leaflets or try to talk people into joining up because I think they'd be better off in that group I've going here."