Bowling for Satisfaction

[Verity Carmen]

You know what she hadn’t done for a good long while … gone bowling … probabaly because it was so dam expensive. But those of clan Daeva are by definition hedonistic and so the desire to do something she enjoyed in life was indulged.

Fortunately Night Strike offered unlimited bowling for under $20, much more manageable. And going on a Wednesday meant half price arcade games for after if she wanted so even better. With a bar, lounge and host of other options she was sure something could be found to do.

Dressed in what for her was a comfortable style, but still more effort than jeans and a t shirt.

Her outfit consists of Boots which had been swapped for bowling shoes. A shame as had they matched Her pants. The shirt while still casual was added to by the sleeveless one underneath. She was really into the layered look she had picked up. Which also explains tonight’s jacket.

With no hard and fast plans, she intends to see who she can pick up or find a group to join, very confident in her ability to do so

[Verity Carmen]

Bookkeeping

[Losh]

“Don’t you understand? Magic isn’t yours. It doesn’t belong to you, and you have no right to
try and keep it for yourself. It belongs to everyone. Every person that can dream, that can
hope, that can feel — magic is the birthright of every person, in every nation of the Ancient
Land, and to try and keep it from them makes you worse than any mad god or demon you
claim to be protecting them from.” Soter roared as he drew his long sword and pointed it at the Regent in Silver.

Losh chuckled as he flipped to the next page, the book continued in that Soter kept demanding the Regent in Silver return the love of his life, Sophia, back to him after she left him on their wedding day. The Forbidden Lands Pentalogy has been an interesting experience for Losh. He'd met a group of rapid fans when he went to relax at a library before he arrived in Sacramento, it just so happened it was when Michael T. Carson, author of the series, was doing a book signing. He didn't have much interest in modern mortal literature, but he was amused and entertained by their enthusiasm for it. Buying the boxset, it took him years until he finally got around to reading through the series, and amazingly, he liked it.

He didn't consider himself incredibly invested in it, he was still too fond of Kant and Nietzsche to think of Carson as his new "Favorite" author since he had so many he loved. Sitting by himself in a booth near the bowling alley, Losh ordered a drink and fries to be polite, although both sat untouched as he read through the rest of the book. He liked being in public, though he'd never been to a bowling alley before, so he was enjoying the atmosphere of both a new book and a new environment.

He wore a plain black leather jacket, a red undershirt, stonewashed jeans, and steel tipped boots. His short blond hair was combed neatly, and he seems to be totally engrossed in what he was reading, only glancing as passerby's.

[Verity Carmen]

As she peruses her options for the night, she waves fingers at a group watching her, flashes a smile at those by the bar and continues, even though she is impossible to miss none catch her attention enough. Then Verity is stopped dead in her tracks as her eyes sweep over someone and her beast roils in her chest. The urge to fight, to kill the other rising. She breaths, focuses on the noise of the place it wasn't music but it was sensation, it was life and it helps her calm the roiling rage enough to master it for the moment.

She doesn't know him. Which means he's either new, or a problem. Verity flicks out her phone and readies a text to be sent to a certain official. But doesn't press send yet. Could be he's just new.

Sliding into the other side of the booth with grace Verity faces the fellow the kindred, only separated by the plastic table. 'You know considering the options on offer, you might be the first I've seen read a book in a bowling ally.' Mellifluous tones dancing through the din to snag the ear and attention.

[Losh]

Losh resists the urge to jump in his seat as the woman sits down next to him, looking at her, immediately the predator inside of him reacts and identifies her as Kindred. Using the techniques he learned over his years in the Ordo to control it, Losh closes the book and sets it on the table.

"I came to this place to be alone,"Losh thinks as he looks the stranger up and down, "at least she seems...pleasant."

Losh weighs his options about how best to approach this, he could be curt and distant, or cordial and friendly. Although if he's too friendly it could give the wrong message, and if he's too distant it could come off as rude. Then again, he could use a friend, or at least an acquaintance, someone who's not the Seneschal or Priscus. It'd be nice to get a local perspective.

"Well," he pauses, "reading a book in a bowling alley has its advantages, one of them being peace and quiet."

In the background a group of mortals cheer loudly as one of their members score a strike, creating an echoing thunder as the pins fall to the floor and tumble. Glancing behind his shoulder at the sudden loud noise, Losh grimaces as he recomposes himself.

"Let rephrase that. People with our unique...condition tend to avoid areas like this, it's relatively free of politics. Also, troublemakers don't tend to think members of our "Club" would ever be caught dead in a bowling alley. It's a perfectly logical and safe place to be if you want to avoid conflict. Which is why I'm here."

Losh looks at the table and places his hand on the book's cover, Ancient Lands: Book 4: A Blinding Light.

"Guess I won't be finishing you tonight. Also, I got to stop mixing up the title, it's Ancient Lands, not Forbidden Lands."

Losh looks back up at the stranger and says, "I'm Losh, I'm new to the city. Is there something you wanted to talk to me about?"

[Verity Carmen]

Perfectly symmetrical eyebrows rise, everything about her has perfect symmetry for that matter. You could not craft a person more so. 'Peace and quiet.' Misty green eyes looks over to the whooping, buzzing and electronically energetic arcade, over to the raucous and lively bar watching sports on a tv, and then as the pins crash back to the kindred with a smile that says. yeah right.

'Speaking of membership, I don't think I've seen you at any events? you signed the book yet. Losh.' There's a bloodhunt on and an unknown network of allies to worry about. So what do I have here? 'That trick only works.' She nabs a couple of fries form his bowl and promptly eats them. She had forced vitae into her digestive tracks to imbibe for a reason. 'As long as you actually pay attention to it.' She is clearly kindred but, in her subtle movements, her consideration of the kine behaviours, and her general display of subtle emotions Verity still carries a lot of the kine habits.

No harm in being friendly. 'I'm looking for a fun evening. And if your looking to not be bothered in here I suggest you join me rather then sitting alone reading.' For good or ill Verity's presence brings with it eyes, and likewise to those whom the beautiful rocker spends her attention on.

[Losh]

"Looking for a fun evening? Doesn't sound like I have much of a choice in the matter." Losh shook his head as he cleared away the thought, he might as well try and make the most of this.

Losh sighed and shrugged, "Alright, what do you have in mind? Just so you know, I'm not too good with technology." he stares at the arcade, the screens displaying moving images flashing at such a rapid rate it makes his head spin.

"When I was a kid, cars weren't even a concept, much less..."arcade" games." The word sounded foreign and strange as he forced it out, both to Losh himself and to any listener.

"A teenager once challenged me to something called Pac-Man, he thought I was trying to hit on his babysitter. I mean, I was, but not romantically, I was just hungry, it wasn't anything personal." Losh rubs the back of his neck and smiles awkwardly, "I backed off once he crushed me in it, I let him have his moment, he deserved it. Although, I don't think his babysitter was too impressed, I think she found me charming."

Losh absentmindedly pushes the bowl of fries closer to the girl, if she wanted to puke it up later that's her choice.

"This is going to sound crazy, but I've actually never gone bowling before, never have. I don't even know how to play if I'm being straight with you. Maybe you can teach me? Although, I hate to sound cliche, but that would sound awfully like a date.

[Verity Carmen]

Verity looks at this kindred a little in shock. Then shakes her head laughing at nothing he said but allowing effortlessly stylized messy auburn locks to fall into her face, she uses the hand between her and the wall to move them back into place but tapping her ear as she does so. A sign to this one to heighten his hearing.

She pulls her phone up in front of her, tapping away, and begins to murmur as imperceptibly as she can manage. Trusting kindred hearing to pick it up. 'Cool it dude, we're in public. People can overhear. If cars weren't a concept your openly admitting to being well over a hundred years old. Keep that for private parties.' How far gone is this guy anyway? The open risk and dodging of the question about not being at court have Verity less then sure about this one and with her phone out has made a few additions to the text and fired it off. In her mind this just became reconnaissance.

'A date? so soon?' Purple coated lips part in a smile as she teases. 'Sure, lets hit up an ally.' The more I can learn the better. She'll stand but wait to make sure Losh joins her.

[Losh]

Losh looks around him, suddenly realizing there were a lot more Kine around him then he thought.

"Oh right, my bad. If you can't tell, I don't get out very much. I'm still getting used to being in a city as big as this."

In an instant all of his savoir faire was gone and was replaced with thoughts of "A date? This isn't a harlequin novel, it's real life. She's got to be playing some kind of angle, I can't just see what it is."

"I might not know how to bowl, but I know a lot of interesting trivia about bowling. Like did you know that back in the early 1900s there weren't any machines that automatically reset the pins? They'd pay people to stand back there to prop them back up and also deliver your bowling ball back to you."

He says as he gets up and walks over to the alley with the girl, inspecting the balls on the rack, he decides to follow Occam's Razor and pick a red one, it was his favorite color, and not just because of what he was. Turning over the ball, he slid his index and middle finger into the two upper holes, and his thumb in the bottom. Feeling hefty and weighty in his grip, he calculated how much force it would take to crack open a Kine or Kindred's head should he get ambushed. Standing and prepared to bring it swinging around like a mace should anyone attack him from behind.

Smiling as warmly as he could at the girl, "Ladies first." he says as he gestures to the alley, and also not so subtly for her to fiddle with the machine and start it for them.

[Verity Carmen]

She moves her phone to vibrate and puts in a tight pocket so she can feel if it goes off, at least until her blush subsides. Then cocks an eyebrow to the new guy. 'Really I wouldn't have guessed.' Tone playful like a cat with a ball of yarn, then relenting to something more casual. 'Don't worry as long as you play ball we can sort that right out.' He's not a bad looking guy now I get a good look at him. 'You been in town long Losh?' An important detail.

As Losh reels off facts like the smart kid on the playground trying to impress the popular girl, Verity gives him and only him her attention. 'No, I didn't know that.' Walking over with him. 'Must have made cheating a dam sight easier.'

Verity will, with relative ease, punch in the information to get 1 game for 2 players. It was unlimited bowling after all they could take it game at a time.

Turning back to see the new guy looking almost armed and ready. 'You don't need to swing it around like a shotput.' Her body would set any kine's imagination ablaze, curving and thinning exactly where it needs to, and exactly proportionate. But she does not look built for might. An image further enhanced as Verity takes the lightest ball from the rack. 'The motion is more fluid. Like this.' And she'll mime arcing the ball so its a breath a way from caressing the floor, so he can see before she steps up to the line.

'My, my manners aren't dead then.' Flashing him a dazzling smile. Verity steps up. 'Right, you ready?'

Contests and Games Rules So having a look at the contests wiki, bowling isn't on there so how does the following sound for some quick off the cuff and certainly not cannon rules to use? Seryna as long you are okay with it as well of course.

treat it as a throwing action:
Dex+ath+1 (equipment)+aiming -2 (environmental factors) -- roll twice per post, an e-suxx on first roll = a strike, a e suxx on 2nd roll = a spare. We roll 20 times each across our posts and total the success we achieved. A strike means that both rolls in the next post count for double when totalling final scores, A spare means the first roll in the next post counts for double when totalling scores.

that sound reasonable?