The Watchstanders

[Helen Kingsley]

"Not a problem, we're ready to start, then."

Helen heaves a laptop out from somewhere on the floor next to her and turns it so the others can see whats on the screen, then she plays a video.

It is a clip of a video, five seconds long. It is a voice speaking on a video being filmed of an empty, generic hotel room.
The voice has been modulated with a voice changer.
"My friends who opened my eyes have suggested that this is a human trafficking scheme. It is possible monsters are abducting someone from this hotel. My friend is on thier way.' The door opens and the film follows three blurry people in a physical fight outside of a hotel room. Shouts are heard. One person, a short, pale person, is clearly visible. A man shouts 'Get an official' and the woman who was in focus runs away. She leaves the shot. A brunnette blur comes into focus as the fighting behind her comes to a stop. Now the two blurry figures appear to be facing one another.

The brunnette approaches the camera and the face comes into focus as Verity Carmen. The angle of this film is of Verity speaking to the person. She makes a plea for use of the phone. The video has the recording stop here and another edit is in place. "My videos and sent messages were altered and my online presence was compromised. I had sent the video to my friend, who managed to upload a copy for me. Is this person a part of the monster's organization? I simply cannot believe it. Look at her. There is something remarkable about her. Surely, she must be a victim.
The video has been secured. If you know anything about this person, or of abductions by monsters, meet us at the Hollybrook Hotel, Suite 330 on the 25th. We are making a plan."
The video has a few screens come up on the screen - a map of Sacramento and the location of the hotel this took place in marked. There is a newspaper article about a teen couple who were found dead. Helen stops at the newspaper article for ewveryone to read it.

Teen couple found dead at local teen hangout – byline by Kate Singer
At approximately 6 AM this morning, two teens – Alexander Lathe and Eliana Cooper were found dead in Ms. Cooper’s vehicle. Mr. Lathe is seventeen and attends Sacramento High. Ms. Cooper is seventeen and is homeschooled by her mother. The coroner has not released cause of death at this time. This reporter was told by Det. Kramer of the Sacramento Police Department that it is suspected foul play. The vehicle was parked at Cedar Grove park overhand parking lot, casually referred to among local teens as ‘the Lookout’. Look for the update to this story at Night Time News with Nancy at 10 PM at KWBG channel.

"The video has been on some sites before someone scrubbed it. Point is, there are people investigating into this. Now, what do we need to know... One of those people in the video is Priscus Carmen, obviously. The others are me, some Daeva from out of town, Luke Dacian, and his ghoul, Adair. So that tells you why she isn't here and that tells you why I don't want to get directly involved. If someone who was there that night is there, they might recognize me. Now,. that human trafficking stuff is bullshit and its also barely connected to the murders in the park, but we'll get to that in a bit."

She slides each of the attendees a piece of paper.

Piece of paper

INVESTIGATION REPORT DACIAN GROUP


Priscus Carmen got a letter from a person called Luke Dacian from Phoenix in April, who wanted to meet for an acknowledgement (copy of letter enclosed as Appendix A). Due to no Priscus, he was sent for Seneschal and informed that Prince would not meet him. Dacian requested being kept in the loop for clan developments instead and wrote again as soon as the Daeva Priscus had been decided, wanting a meeting outside town, but getting one at (address). Additional report on that meeting pending until meeting has taken place. In any case, Dacian has taken efforts to avoid dealing with members of the Invictus upon getting into the domain. To what purpose remains to be seen.


During a meeting with the witnesses for the Cedar Grove Park murders, C. got a card (copy of card enclosed as Appendix B), linking one of the witnesses, a woman called Adair, to a self proclaimed socialite called Garreth Dacian, according to the card located in San Diego. This also links Luke to this person, provided Garreth really exists. Adair also provided a telephone number (enclosed as Appendix C). According to C, Adair and the other witness, Peter, are ghouls. Both Adair and Peter pointed C. at Will, the suspect mentioned in Report Cedar Grove Park. Will was allegedly seen in Elysium by Stacey Clarke, but has found to be not among those getting mail to Elysium, so he is probably not acknowledged and remains at large for now. Keeping an eye on Cedar Grove Park and Entropy might help finding him, unless he's been retired by now (same might be the case for Peter).


This means there are at least two members of a Dacian connection in town, three, if Peter also counts, possibly more. These people are in town and are doing their legwork. Why they go through all that work remains to be seen, but it seems advisable to keep an eye on them. Due to their connection with the suspect in Cedar Grove Park murders, I have decided to also keep the efforts of these people under investigation, especially as soon as we know what comes of the meeting.


Additionally, it has come to light, that Clarke, Jake and Sanchez are monitoring Cedar Grove Park for reasons unknown. They have encountered small persons, one matching the description of the 5'5 person encountered in the park during the crime scene investigation, the other being a 5' tall woman in a long coat. Having been made out as noteworthy, their purpose at the place is unknown, although their interest in the car potentially links them to the murders as well.


Current angles for potential investigation include:


Luke Dacian – investigate what authorities in San Diego and Phoenix have to say about him
Adair Dacian – There is a phone number and that name isn't too popular
Garreth Dacian – Got a mail address in San Diego for him
Will – even more interesting to talk to, still at large
Peter – also possibly still out there
Meeting with Luke Dacian
Unknown duo of people

"You could say the meeting didn't go as planned for any person involved. Now, what is attached to this stuff ? One, Peter is really called henry, a rogue ghouls bloodhunted in two domains. Maybe you have seen the poster I made in Elysium already. His connection to the Dacians or whether there are any Dacian holdouts still in town are unclear at this point, but we're keeping our eyes open and so should you, it's not a popular name, after all. We're pretty certain Will is the Park killer and he's still out there as far as I know. But apart from a possible personal connection, the two things are not connected. But let's get to why I brought you here.

The job for you is simple. I want you to find the guys who made that video and find out what they think they know. After that, your task is to make sure whatever their findings, they're tradition-friendly when they end their little game of detective. So human trafficking ? Okay. Monsters ? Not okay. Hence why I'm giving you the details about the Dacian operation. It's basics, there's another bunch of things I'll compile and get to you. These guys aren't welcome in town currently, so that organization could get the stuff pinned to itself, for example. As you like it. I'll leave the details to you.

As to why I have picked each of you ? Mr Schneider is a member of the Lancea, ordained and all, he should be able to talk his way around people. Also, new guys to the front. Benny isn't too bad with people either and also can do some computer stuff that might come in handy. Also, new guys to the front. Marcus and me go back a bit, so all I'm saying is, he's pretty useful in a pinch and as I don't really want to risk making an appearance, he'll be the backup should you need it as well as anything else you four decide. Also new people to the front. As for Raul... He's always good to have in an investigation, he is a solid hand and has law enforcement experience. He was pretty set for the job as soon as I got it.

Now, I'll say this again, and this is important. The Prince wants this investigated and handled quietly. No big scenes, no ruckus, no more accidental interent celebrities. I can give you logistical and other support, but I will keep my distance from proceedings to make sure I don't end up on the net as well."She leans back and looks at each of the four kindred at the table with her.

"Questions ?"

[Marcus Roman]

"As long as things go smooth, my parts easy." Says Marcus getting right to business. "No questions at the moment. I can volunteer my skills if I see an in for them, certainly." He had a seriousness to him, less easy going in the moment. Clearly a sufficient masquerade breach. Not good at all...

[Otto Schneider]

"Ghouls..." The disdain is evident in the Ventrue's voice. He shakes his head with a frown for a second. "I can understand the need to be hands-off in this situation, but how much of the planning process is up to us?" Otto leaned back in his chair for a second and glanced the other assembled Kindred.

"For instance, are we being paired up? Or do we work in whatever manner fits a given task? Does it matter? I don't mind if the intent is to give us a goal and figure out the best way to do it, I'd just like to know how much... Leeway we have." Perhaps unexpectedly, there's an approving look at Marcus. The Traditions were practically religious mandates to the Sanctified, so it didn't take much to convince Otto of the importance of the job.

[Helen Kingsley]

"Everyone in here is competent in what they're doing. So we're doing it Army style. I tell you what I want to happen, you tell me what you need to make it happen, I see to you getting what you need, you use that to get results. You stay on the job, I stay off your ass. If you aren't sure if you can cope with too much leeway, or have little experience with it, we can work it more closed. I just need to know so we can get your best possible performance.

I've given you the mission parameters as per the Prince already. As a personal favour, it'd be nice if there's as little bodies as possible. I know that sometimes that can't be helped, but we'll see if this case is one of those. You keep me updated regularly and work the job, I'll deal with domain leadership and domain members and keep any heat from those off your backs. Just don't let that bite me in the ass."

Looking over to Otto.

"Answered the question or you got anything more... specific in mind ?"

[Benedikta Grey]

Benedikta leans back in her seat as the Reeve speaks of her mission for Marcus, Otto, Raul, and herself.

A slight frown visibly crosses Benny's face at Verity's appearance on the video.

"So... are we going to just ignore that Priscus Carmen risked the Traditions herself by presenting evidence of herself on the video? Or is that being handled privately?" she asked, clearly interested in whether the Rose was being protected and, if so, why, "As for the Web, nothing's ever truly scrubbed away forever, but it could be hard to track down the source... Still, I got the equipment to modulate and protect my own presence there, so that's definitely an angle we can pursue so long as we establish contact beforehand."

Raising her arms and placing her hands behind her head, the Shadow peered into the middle distance, her expression thoughtful as she considered how best to proceed.

"In any case, contact seems the priority right now," she mused, "As to how... deception seems the best move, I think. One or more of us pose as members of a sympathetic group. Say... fellow conspiracy theorists. Might help with obfuscating their own investigation, as well. Maybe convince them its the work of something a little more tradition-friendly, like aliens or lizard people."

Then, a grim expression cast upon the techie Kindred's face as she looked to her assembled fellows.

"And if they can't be convinced well... We'll need to deal with 'em quickly," she said. Then she looked to the Reeve once more, "The Prince is well known for her connections in the underworld. If we gotta drop bodies, is she available to help with disposal?"

[Otto Schneider]

Seeing as the others weren't exactly clamoring for the Reeve's attention, Otto piped up again. "No further questions from me. Sounds like a good way to organize our efforts."

He looked over at Benny as she spoke with a curious look on his face. "I won't claim to be an expert on all things that go bump in the night, but I can probably scrape together a few obscure facts and half-truths about... unnatural fauna and make a decent cover for us." The Priest had never fancied himself an occultist per-se, but what lore he did know had been surprisingly useful of late.

The Shadow's suggestion about dealing with stiffs was met with furrowed brows. "Usually bodies lead to more questions and we wouldn't want this to become an endless loop of covering up for cover-ups. But then, I can't claim to know as much about the Domain's resources." He shifted his attention to Helen. "We'd never try to abuse those resources, but if it's possible to do in isolated, controlled situations..." His tone made it clear that it was more of a question than a statement.

[Marcus Roman]

As the two turned the conversation to bodies and their disposal the Roman joined in "Yes, if things don't go smoothly and I do get involved bodies may be more likely than unlikely. You know me, Reeve. Paragon of restraint and all..." Which was true in a way, he had done a lot to avoid combat since coming to the domain. Doing his best to settle somewhere peacefully for once but eventually he will have to enter combat and well...every coin has two sides. Benny had made a good point when they spoke last, eventually martial skills will need to be brought to bear on a long enough time line and the thought had concerned him ever since.

[Helen Kingsley]

"I don't know, how important is the investigative status of Priscus Carmen for the problem at hand in your opinion ?" That sort of attitude is a two-way street after all. "We're trying to be as autonomous as possible. Means we're trying our on-board material first. That don't work, we'll take it higher and request additional resources. If it's urgent enough, it should not be a problem, but it's a case-by-case basis and some cases can come with questions afterwards. So don't just assume you have those resources at hand in any case."

[Benedikta Grey]

Benny looked first to Otto as he offered his services to help construct a narrative for the mortals, if it proved possible.

"Sounds good to me," Benny said, "Let's hope that's all we need to do after we establish contact."

A solemn nod is leveled to Marcus. Benny wasn't looking to kill the mortals unless it was absolutely necessary, but it was good to know the option was there.

"Ah, I didn't mean that this group should investigate. It's clear to me that our priority needs to be the creators of this video. I was merely curious if her actions would be addressed," Benny clarified as she looked to the Reeve, "Understandable. I agree its best to handle this as discretely amongst ourselves as we can, I just wanted to know if we had the option should our own measures fail to produce results. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst... At any rate, I think we all agree that establishing contact seems the best route forward, no? I'm happy to see what I can find on the Net side of things. Given that's the avenue they initially pushed the video through, we might be able to find something by skimming through the forums and the like they used before. Assuming we have that information, that is..."

[Seryna]

Shall this thread conclude, as there are no response?