Bowling for Satisfaction

[Losh]

"Right," Losh nods, "got it."

If Losh were a lesser man, or younger, or even a Kine for that matter, he probably would have gotten flustered at spending time with such a woman as she. It was then he realized what this looked like, two "Young" people spending time at a bowling alley, trading quips and quotes, both laughing, and both under the effects of the Blush. It's a perfect cover to fool the Kine and anyone not in the loop, or those who aren't a Kindred themselves. What reason would a Hunter have to suspect them? Nothing really, unless they overheard him blabbing earlier, which still stung to think about.

"Still, there's more to worry about then Hunters or other Kindred," he thought as he took his position and prepared to toss the bowling ball, mimicking a deep breath, he drew his arm back, "she could attract the wrong kind of attention, it's doesn't matter how I feel. What if she's hanging out with a gangboss or something? I'm no killer."

Heaving and tossing the bowl forward, it slid across the alley and right into the gutter. Letting his arms drop, he narrowed his eyes and tried focusing on only the game as his ball came back onto the rack. Taking it, he let loose another throw, and this time he managed to knock over a single pin.

"Well, I did about as good I expected too. It's not like I could have done any better at the arcade games." Somehow Losh has the sinking sensation he wasn't going to win this particular "game.". There were other things he was much better at, maybe at the end he'll challenge her to such a match, his inner mischievous side came to life as he thought about that.

Losh shrugged, "Eh, it's my fine time playing, and I can always improve. What else can I say? Your turn."

[Verity Carmen]

'You just need to get your eye in, is all.' Verity Saunters past him, up to the line. 'That was a warm up, you'll see.'

Taking her bowls the motion is fluid and graceful, she tries more for precision than brute force knocking a few pins with each ball. Nothing note worthy compared to the crashes and strikes coming from other lanes. 'Eh see not everyone's great at it.'

As she steps down she looks at Losh, in the face, not the eye directly. She doesn't trust him for that yet. 'You could say how long you've been in the city and if you've had your interview yet.' The statement is firmer then she has spoken to him so far, letting him know that she is aware he's dodged both questions in their previous iterations. That it was more than once is making the Daeva warry and its shown for a moment.

'Your up, handsome.' Back to being playful.

[Losh]

"Well," he starts as he bends over to pick up his ball, "I arrived back in either September or October last year, my memory's a bit fuzzy, after a while everything starts to blur together. It gets hard remembering faces and names, especially any old friend's I haven't seen in a while. He pauses, thinking about his friends from the village. He hadn't thought about them in what seemed like ages, they've grown, had families, had kids, and then died. They're all dust now, even Aallotar. He missed her the most, and it was only recently he began feeling regret for what he did, or didn't do.

Throwing his first ball, it slammed into the pins and knocked a couple over, mediocre from what he's observed from the Kine patrons, but just a little bit worse than the girl. Drats. Maybe he's just not cut out for bowling.

"As for the interview, I met the Manager's Assistant, Jen. She's acknowledged my unique talents. I'm sure you've met or at least heard about her. Her and the Manager run a tight ship, professional and courteous, I could say more, but I'll leave it there."

Giving his second shot of his turn, he smiles as he scored a Spare, things were looking up after all.

Leaning against the rack, he turned to look at the girl and asked, "I answered your questions, so I have two questions of my own. First off, what's your name? I've told you mine, so it's only fair I knows yours. And what's your opinion on the management? I promise I'll keep it between us, I've been looking for an 'on the ground' perspective."

By getting her to question him more directly, he shifted the battleground in his favor ever so slightly. He still had no clue what her true intentions were, and he figured if this wasn't going down on his terms, it'd go down on equal terms.

[Verity Carmen]

So long enough to have missed Novembers formal court and definitely need to eat. 'Oh that's just life in the city, the pace of life is just so much faster. Everything just meshes together.' For all her suspicions she does take pause here. And in a maybe surprising display of empathy for a kindred. 'We all have to leave things, people, friends, family behind.' The musical voice now softer then its been so far. 'Be it for a new job, relocation, a fresh start. Its never easy.' That the sentence is veiled does little to impact the sentiment she is trying to convey. Does the hurt make us more human or less?

His next sentence snaps Verity back to the gravity of the situation. So he's met the Seneschal despite all these signs otherwise? Eyes comb over Losh as he says this looking for any sign of deceit, ears focus to the height of hearing to the point all the background noise hurts trying to hear even the slightest inflection or hesitancy to give him away.

Detect lies failure

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2024-01-07 02:35:33	Verity Carmen rolls 5 to to detect lies (wits+empathy) (10 Again)	4, 4, 2, 7, 4	failure

But she finds neither that, nor anything to bring her comfort from his words. He's just so odd, so ... out of place. I'll just have hang around and gather what I can.

'Oh we've met several times.' True enough the Seneschal was the kindred Verity had spent easily the most time around since being in the city. 'She is someone I both like and respect. Yes they are both very admirable.' As kindred went Jennifer was definitely among the most likeable Verity had met outside of close family. Was it genuine or just because Jennifer embodied traits Verity valued highly... Juries still out.

She claps and gives him a small cheer when he gets the spare. 'See what did I say, that's already much better.' Playing the game, maintaining the public charade.

Given he's leaning on the rack Verity has to stand next to him to get her ball, really near him, nearer then she needs to in fact very much in his personal bubble, the heat of false life from blush palpable. 'Fair? well are things always fair?' Purple lips part in a teasing grin. 'Verity Carmen.' She reaches past him and grabs her ball. Only now stepping away and up to the line. Calling back over her shoulder. 'I have a thing for roses so you know.' There's a freebie for you. Lets see what you do with it.

Down the lane it goes it to get five pins.

Promise or no, I'm beautiful not daft. 'The boss and her executive I hold in high regard.' You would to if you've seen the prince. 'And well the head chair of my department currently sits empty.' She shrugs. 'So no opinions there I'm afraid.' Hard to have one for someone that doesn't exist. 'And you, met with your department head yet?'

Her ball goes again this time knocking down three.

'Hey looks like a close game so far.'

[Losh]

"I have." He says, leaving it at that.

"Everything you're supposed to do during a transfer I've done," He didn't mean to come off snappy or rude, but he was afraid Verity might interpret his response that way, "with the heightened tensions at the moment due to a rouge employee," he says, meaning the Bloodhunt, "It would have been narcissistic of me to think I could just slip in unannounced. The last time I was in a company with such an event going on, the Manager called a head count of every single employee in the city and made them appear before them at a board meeting to create a consensus. I don't know if the situation here is worse or better, so I can't really give you my opinion on it, not that I would anyway, it's not my place to speak on things like that."

He remembered that night, a long time ago. Losh was sitting in the backseat of a Cadillac that was at the time a brand new model. A Kindred was driving and his Ghoul was in the passenger seat, he didn't mind riding in the back, he didn't mind a lot of things that would anger other Kindred, he didn't consider himself different or special because of it, it was just how his mind worked. The shock came when the Ghoul started blabbing to Losh about the target of the Bloodhunt and how everyone thought the Prince of the city was weak, in return his master pulled out a gun and shot the Ghoul in the head, killing him.

"You stupid fucking blabbermouth!" The Kindred shouted as the Ghoul's blood splattered the interior of the car and slid down the window, the Ghoul slumped over onto his side, a brand new eye hole where his temple used to be, the Kindred turned to Losh and then said "You didn't hear shit. I'm gonna have to get another Ghoul now."

He was brought out of the memory when he blinked and his ball went into the alley, shit, both gutter balls. If he understood the rules of bowling correctly, unless Verity royalty screwed up her turn the game would be hers. Did she see him spacing out? if she noticed it earlier she'd definitely notice it again.

"Wow." he tries to play it off with a lighthearted chuckle, "sorry, my mind went somewhere else there for a moment."

[Verity Carmen]

Verity's gaze is appraising trying to work him out. Have you indeed. Either well played for keeping it close or you don't know who. I wonder which it is? Because I don't need to know your tells to know that's lie number two pretty boy, you've done everything except attend a required court that happened since you've been here if your timeline adds up. And whichever Priscus is yours would have told you to be there. 'Alright no need to bite my head off, your new and I'm intrigued is all.' She doesn't seem put down, if anything getting a rise from him excites the social predator.

She listens to his story taking a seat on the bench, the better to see around her. 'It might not be your place but, if we only did what was our place well ... this would be very dull.' Because we'd have stayed dead when we died, like a corpse should.

She then watches with growing bemusement as he seems to auto pilot his way through his turn, managing not to foul though. Is this guy all there? She'll take the opportunity to check her phone under the guise of ordering food and drink via an app (which she does) to see if the Reeve has responded. ... Nothing yet.

'Yeah I noticed. Shame wasted opportunity. You need to be in the moment to seize it Losh.'

Verity will take her go, for a six then a four getting a spare of her own this turn. 'Oh looks like you'll really need to step it up now.'

[Losh]

"Sorry if I've come off as brash, this night isn't going how I thought it would. It's not your fault, It's just...I'm not very good at bowling." He laughed, he even managed to convince himself he was telling the truth.

Verity was refreshing, in the sense that he knew precisely the reason why he felt a little bit uneasy around her. She was so forward, not acting at all like Kindred did when he was freshly embraced. Then again, there weren't many Kindred in Finland to begin with, to many polar days, and back when he was mortal, villages were too spaced out and covered in snow for it to be manageable to travel between the two on foot within a day, not without the use of Disciplines that is. Someone could get lost in those words for days, and ever since he became a Kindred, he wondered if the stories his parents told him about fairies and trolls had any merit to them. If Vampires exist, why not them as well?

Taking both his turns, he did good, but not good enough to win, the game was Verity's. a weight seemed to be lift off his shoulders now that it was over, if anything, he was at least graceful at losing.

"You know Verity, I think you're right, I do need to seize the moment. Thank you for opening my eyes in that regard. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go, you've given me plenty to think about, and plus, you'd just beat me at everything else too."

Before he left, he extended his hand for her to shake it, and wondered if she'd take it. "Goodbye."

[Verity Carmen]

She grins at that. 'Not going how you expected good? or bad?' It certainly hadn't been what she had expected either. 'Like anything its just practice.' He was already getting better. He might even turn out to be a fun challenge with a few more shots.

Verity will leisurely leave the bench to take her shots keeping to pretty average bowling, so capitalising more on her spare then Losh had.

Turning on her heel she strides back down to him. 'Of course I'm right.' Flickering her hair back behind her ears. Wait a minute what. 'Your leaving? but we've only bowled eight a piece.' Pointing up at the score screen. 'We aren't even half way done!' She feels the rage building. HOW DARE HE. 'JUST.' Calm it girl, calm it, public place. As she shouts at the waiter bringing the food she ordered over. 'Just. leave. it.' Anger still threatening in every syllable.

That Losh had got a rise out of her stung more then the denial of her fun by a margin and the frosty look he gets combine with the sudden corpse like stillness, strips Verity of her show however briefly. For all of the Daeva's social skills, despite blending in with her food source. Verity is a predator. And one that has just been denied a rightful win, a wound to her pride. She does not shake his hand.

'I expect I'll see you again. Losh.' After all court beckons. An uncomforting smile spreads over those perfect purple lips. 'Soon.'

[Verity Carmen]

Verity is ticked off, really ticked off. To the extent she had stayed to finish the game just so she could ensure that every ball Losh would have had ends up in the gutter. Who backs out just because a game looks bad? We hadn't even gotten half way through! And if there was any easy way to get under the Daeva's skin it was a unearned victory. How can I feel accomplished with this it was just handed to me.

The food and drink she ordered. Left abandoned, no longer wanted. That she hadn't been able to read his tells yet he thought to lie to her so blatantly, a further frustration. If he has been around as long as he claims then he has to have hunted. But he missed formal court forfeiting whatever acknowledgement he claimed to have surely! If that doesn't make him a law breaker then talking about life over a hundred years ago and openly admitting for all to hear about wanting to eat a babysitter sure does!

She checks her phone. And why hasn't the Reeve at least sent something back! We have a lawbreaker on the loose and our law enforcement can't even be asked to acknowledge it!

It was time to leave ... to leave and put a few locked doors between her and people for tonight, just in case. As much as she listens to the sound of living, focuses on keeping her cool, Verity's mood is radiating danger and the beast wants more then just that.

With an effort she shoves it down, using her very almost human frustration as weight to push back. Changes her shoes and leaves. If Losh comes to court one of these nights ... well he owes me a game.