Haunting in Sacramento Ch 2: The Snake

[Seryna]

Alicia and Otto are welcome to this plot. All others should look for a different Haunting in Sacramento Ch 2 entry plot. PM myself to request one

The Pit Viper was a jazz bar located downtown, a block over from the Rack. This early in the evening, there were not many people inside. There was the blonde, Diane, sitting in a dark corner booth with a nondescript grey backpack. She wore a black Band T - Shirt for Creed and a small hip bag that was strapped around her thigh. There was a tattoeed man of about thierty working as a bartender. A waitress was playing on her phone at the bar.

The events from the night before had suggested that whoever communicated with you intended to escalate until they had what they wanted. What was your plan?

[Otto Schneider]

Otto was not pleased to be dealing directly with Diane, but he didn't have many other options. The night before, he had adopted the persona of an oblivious New Age occultist because he had thought it would only be for a brief, inconsequential interaction. Now he was stuck playing the role of 'Paul' and was contemplating the possibility of losing a lot of money on this venture. It stung to be carrying $1,000 in cash when he had originally thought the Daeva Priscus was footing the bill, but he had to be prepared to make sacrifices.

Thankfully the other Daeva had been more obliging in assisting. Though he hadn't needed it, the offer of a lift back to his apartment helped off-set the suspicion from not knowing her real name (at least, he suspected she'd given him a pseudonym). There hadn't been a lot of time to coordinate a plan, though, so the Priest had opted to prepare a cash payment just in case he couldn't negotiate a better resolution. At the very least, no payment until I can inspect the goods.

The Ventrue was genuinely curious about this supposedly blessed relic. If it was truly a holy artifact, he would be willing to trust in its effectiveness. However, almost all Sanctified had a healthy degree of skepticism about such claims. After all, not a decade went by when there wasn't another bogus claim that somebody had recovered the real blade of the Lance of Longinus.

Despite his cover identity, he refused to dress down. Especially since he was contemplating making a transaction, the evening called for a suit. Nothing too extravagant, an adequate and off-the-rack charcoal piece with a red tie. If Diane asked him about it, he'd just say he was a businessman by day and an occult enthusiast in his spare time. It wasn't as though she'd ever asked him for personal details, anyway.

Telling the greeter that he was meeting somebody, he approached Diane's corner with a confident stride and a lazy smile that came easily to someone who was hitting the bar without even stopping home from the office, the kind of look that might have been natural when he was still alive. "Just got off work, you picked a nice place. I dig the shirt. I think Higher is one of their better songs."

[Seryna]

The only wait staff continues to expertly tap her phone as Otto walked away without acknowledging his interaction. The mortal notices the approach of Otto and gives a greeting.
"Hey. This is where the client likes to hang out. He's a musician." Her eyes move to a piano that was designed for acustics of the building.
"The client is named Robin Garter." She explains. "Higher is a good one. I like 'One Last Breath'."Diane states conversationally.

[Alicia Silvers]

Damn meeting at eight, that was a cruel time, barely having time to do more than to get up and throw on a simple attire, well she didn´t want to really be strongly remembered anyways. Call a ride service, sort her hair, and fix her nails . A quick look to her purple lips in that blurry image, glad that she did not have to do much work well basically ever but rather waking up near perfection each night.

Taking the little time she had left to look at her laptop to look over what the Kine was speaking of, then down to the ride as she looks over the notifications she had setup about what was transpiring. Glad it seemed to still be relatively calm.

Giving the greeter a little smile with false life running through her as she steps inside, showing no real care for anyone around, to draw the eyes of people something she had done for so long that it was barely something that registered anymore. Starting with making her way to the tattooed bartender to order a glass of wine and a whiskey, looking over at the waitress with a teasing look as she waits, finishing with giving her an inviting wink as she grabs the drinks and heads of to the booth. The sensation of the stronger beast not lost on her, but at least it was not her first encounter with him and easier to keep herself calm.
"Kindly excuse my tardiness, the day ran a bit long." Seating herself down as she slides the whiskey over to the woman. "Might I offer a shot of whiskey?" Raising her own wine glass with a light inhale then putting it back down to look over to Otto. "Your name seems to have slipped my mind, would you mind refreshing it for me?" Truth be told she was just busy when he introduced himself to the woman and wasn´t sure what name he claimed there.

"Then before this Robin appears, how is our dear Madame doing? No serious damages I hope?" Lightly fidgeting with her wedding ring, having no clue about this band they were talking about, they weren´t really of her era at all nor one she had heard of, at least not that she could recall.

Gear

Athletic shoes
Reverse peephole viewer - in purse
Handcuffs X2 - in purse
Scent pills in case - in purse
Fum mod - in purse
Kevlar vest - thin - under her clothes
Gaia assault alarm on her right wrist
Smart phone - in purse
Pepper spray - in purse
Wedding ring - right hand
Money

[Otto Schneider]

Pushing down the Beast's rising aggression, made easier by familiarity and the soothing satisfaction that it was the dominant of the two, Otto shot Alicia a good-natured, goofy smile. "Ah, come on... It's Paul. We met at one of Vee's parties?" He followed with a dismissive wave to signal that she didn't need to try to respond to the false memory. "Actually, I don't remember that night too well myself, we were both probably on... stuff." He chuckled at his own narrative. Almighty Lord, I beg you, never let me attempt such a superficial cover again.

Riding along the Daeva's question, the Priest put on a look of concern to match the tone. "Yeah, is she alright? Anything that knocks you out can be pretty serious. But getting knocked out by spooky magic or whatever, that's..." He trailed off as if he didn't want to voice the possibilities.

Gear

Smart Phone
Ten $100 bills

[Seryna]

"She's had a nasty shock. It wasn't just the hit to the head. I think she has seen something that disturbed her and she will not tell me." Diane states to Alicia and Otto's questions. "I feel that I am flying solo on this, which makes you being here mean a great deal to me. Garter's spooky. He's all about this cult that he's into, the Snake, and thier unseen fight with the bird cult.
Yet he knows his stuff. He found an ancient tome that I was able to get to a group that needed information about a plague that was affecting thier recent dead.

I am trying to figure out how to make him accept the money that I have, which is not enough. I don't think he'll care about Bela."

[Alicia Silvers]

Rolling her eyes with a sigh and shake of her head, eyes flicking down for a moment before slowly looking back up.
"That was it, I would however appreciate for you to not speak of me in such a manner, I do not indulge in those kinds of things." A stern look for a moment, the memory he made up a lie but the slight at claiming her to utilize substances before someone they would need to work with not one she would let silently pass.

Cocking her head with a kind look to Diane, attempting to establish an emotional caring bond.
"We all saw something in the park, what memories might have been brought up for her mind might be beyond us to understand. Give her time and I am certain she will speak once she is ready. Until then you are not alone." Lightly stretching out her right hand over the table, palm up in case the woman would need a moment to grab it. "Not enough you say? What else does he need, and what do we need him for? I thought there was some talks of some thing or some symbol that would aid in solving this matter, was there not?" Not having fully heard it all, to focused on her own investigation. "It does sound like you have been involved in these kind of affairs before though, and the tome hold some information. Did you mayhaps make a photo copy of it before getting it to this group?" A look to the drink. "Whisky not your poison? And before we proceed, did you get this tome to the group under amicable situations or do we have to deal with Mr.Garter having a bone to pick with you?"

[Otto Schneider]

Diane didn't seem to realize (or perhaps didn't care) that she was casually disclosing potentially important information about the arcane. Otto wouldn't take it all at face-value, but compared to before when there was a ghost and a potentially phony medium, this was a lot. Competing cults, ancient tomes, arcane plagues... I need to find a library.

He tried to not let Alicia's tone bother him. Either she was playing it up as part of her 'character' or she was being flippant. A Succubus being petty. Plausible. Still, he figured it was best to try to catch her up on details while moving it forward. "Ah, Garter, the Client, is supposed to have an artifact that was blessed by a priest. It should be able to banish the ghost, but he wants something in return..."

The Ventrue strained to keep frustration at Garter's terms out of his voice as he continued. "Either forking over about $1,000," the Lord surreptitiously stuck his left hand in his pocket and gripped his wallet. "Destroying a large number of bills... Or defacing a 'symbol of the Eagle', or something like that." Diane's remark about Garter apparently feuding with a bird cult at least made the request seem less random, though no less insane.

"Personally, I want to talk to this guy. See if we can negotiate a little. Maybe he's reasonable." He didn't feel much of the hope he forced into his voice. 'Paul' might be that naive, but Otto was just hoping to try to gauge what kind of man they were dealing with.

[Seryna]

Diane glanced between Otto and Alicia.

The mortal looked at Alicia with a quizzical expression.
Diane and Bela had spoken about the matter at the park with Otto.
“I am in the business of finding rare artifacts and giving them to people who need them. Are you asking if I screwed up my job with the group that I mentioned?
No. I fulfilled my job well. That was an ancient, delicate tome and no, I did not make a copy of it. Why do you think it would be relevant?”
As Otto spoke, Diane gives a nod to Otto.
“I am glad that you picked that up, Paul. You have everything. He will be here in,” She checked her phone display and slipped it back inside her hip pouch.
“-two minutes. If you can negotiate with him, I welcome it. This guy creeps me out. He’s way too into this beef with the Bird.”

[Alicia Silvers]

Listening as Otto or Paul spoke.
"Thank you for the catch up, it is quite interesting that such a thing would work though. Correct me if I am wrong but the eagle is connected to God so to have to use an item connected to God to banish it or deface something with a connection to God sounds kind of the opposite does it not?" Not really her area of expertise but of course she knew the Eagle, it was the mark of her country and a symbol of majesty after all, not that Majesty but the name shared all the same.

Shaking her head at Diane as she pulls back her hand.
"Not if that is the case, you mentioned that he found a tome, and you got it to another group which depending on the way it was done could have made him a bit salty. If it was all done amicably with no hard feelings so should we have no issues. Photo copies of the tome could have been helpful though, you mentioned it dealing in same fields hence we might have been able to find something going over it."

"Then lets await his arrival and let Paul handle the talks."