The Rot Beneath - Hallowed Ground

[Otto Schneider]

As Reeve, Otto was forced to contend with juggling several different projects at once. And as he had discovered, he was not always equipped to adequately handle these projects on his own. So it was that he had called upon the services of the Daeva Priscus, Alicia Silvers, to assist in examining the curious Kindred corpse that he had obtained custody over.

It had been sitting in his private study for a month. This was mostly his own fault, he had to admit, but that didn't make the situation any easier to deal with. Locked up tight within the innermost rooms of Moore House, was a corpse, something that shouldn't be. Kindred didn't die like mortals did. Final Death left no trace... usually. And yet there it was, living proof that something was awry, something... unnatural, even to the Damned. It was almost sacrilegious to keep it in the Sanctum's own gathering place.

For his own part, Otto was toiling in the graveyard. The Ventrue was tending his rose bushes, an ongoing project in his attempts to inject some degree of unnatural life into the plants. Some evening this will bear fruit. He told himself, not sure if he even believed it. He desperately hoped Alicia would arrive soon, lest he spend all evening fretting over the drooping roses without anything of substance to show for it.

[Alicia Silvers]

Kicking the stand of her bike down, dragging out the chain to wrap it around the wheel locking the helmet in place with it hanging from the handle, shacking her unadorned long raven hair and beginning the short walk over towards the Moore house, taking heed to be cautious on her way over.

Dressed up in what she could only call the least enjoyable fit she had at her disposal, an oversized long armed tee in pure black reaching down well below her waist, tied together with a belt and some cheap stockings. The only part she could really say were a piece she cared about being the boots but even then not her favorite. At least she could keep her purple lips and
eyes on full display, never being a fan of covering either of them up, their simple maintenance since that night having been one of the grander additional boons.

The uncomfortably heavy bag on her back loaded with extra gloves and apron for safety´s sake, doubting it would come to be of much use, in fact if what he would be asking of her were precisely what she had imagined from their lightly covered call so would she probably not be able to do all to much especially after all this time but better to know than to just write it off like nothing.

Looking around as she approaches the door with a knock, ready to tell whomever would open that she was expected and follow the words from the call.

[Otto Schneider]

After a less than two minutes, but may have felt much longer, the gaunt face of another Kindred appeared from behind the door that the Daeva had knocked on. She might recognize him from previous stays at Court, though it was unlikely she knew him as anything more than one of the handful of Kindred Otto considered his 'inner circle'. The lanky Nosferatu, clad in a moth-eaten waistcoat, grunted softly upon seeing her. "Wait." Was all he said before closing the door again.

After another three minutes, the Ventrue Priscus replaced the congregant at the door. Otto bowed politely and smiled. "Welcome to Moore House. It could have been under better circumstances, but I am pleased to have you here. Please, come in." The Reeve opened the door wide to let Alicia inside. Grave dirt was still faint upon his palms as he gestured towards the main area of the dilapidated church. "I apologize if Max was a bit terse, that's just part of his character." The Ventrue's smile wavered a little.

"He will leave in the next half hour or so, then we will have be alone. Are you prepared for your examination?" His tone was grim, though still conversational.

[Alicia Silvers]

Wait? Not even giving her a chance to say a word or offer to take her bag now that was just annoyingly rude and no way to treat a lady but fine.

Fidgeting around to take out her Füm mod, and beginning to take slow steady breaths whilst fidgeting with the little spinning part at the bottom. Not really caring much for decorum at the moment, the bag was to uncomfortably heavy for such matters and had it not been for having a body that wasn´t exactly easy to tire it would have been far to annoyingly heavy to not put down.

Cocking her head, and flashing a soft smile as the door opens with a bow aimed at her.
"Such a warm greeting, do hope you do not mind my rudeness but this bag is a tad to heavy for me to reciprocate such a gesture instead." Lowering her head in a greeting with closed eyes for just a moment, the best she could do without having to put it down.

Stepping inside, and making sure to close the door behind her before letting her eyes curiously flickering around, new experiences, new sights, new things always being what sparked her mind alight.
"I do not mind, nor do you have anything to apologize for. Such behavior is hardly fitting of someone your status now is it? Besides I do believe we had an agreement on how to behave when not under formal circumstances."

Looking upon the Reeve and around for the presence of the background one.
"There are some words to speak on that, first of how openly can I speak at present, second would you be so kind a to give me a hand with this bag its weight is really starting to bother me?"

[Seryna]

The Kindred corpse's condition has changed in the time it was viewed last. Kindred are animated by the Embrace, in whichever form a Kindred chooses to believe.
Yet when this corpse is viewed, it looks like a person who's been dead for a year. The facial structure has now progressed to flesh showing the skull and teeth beneath. The long, dark hair is shrunken to the head and some has fallen out where the body was kept. Limbs had gone through rigor mortis some time ago and could now be moved.

Any examination should include a Investigation+ Intelligence roll

[Otto Schneider]

"Of course, of course." Otto said faintly at the complaint of her bag. "Please, feel free to lay it wherever you wish and make yourself comfortable. Or I can help you with it, yes." The Reeve would take the bag if offered, unlikely to complain about its weight both from a sense of pride and the fact that he could, if truly necessary, use his Vitae to stimulate his muscles and alleviate the burden.

The Ventrue chuckled lightly at Alicia's statement that he needn't apologize. "Right, right. Less formality with just the two of us. Well, for better or for worse, he is one of my congregants so I must take some degree of responsibility for his behavior. Max is... well, he doesn't seem to like talking. I believe it stems from his Curse, but I'm not entirely sure." The Priest gestured towards his private study. "We will be undisturbed in here, and it's where the subject of our conversation is."

The Priscus led the Daeva towards the most private part of the building, closing the door behind her once she was inside. "It's not entirely soundproof, but nobody should be able to make out specifics while we're inside." Otto jerked his head slightly in the direction of the Kindred's body. "And near nobody knows about what I've been keeping in here." He paused a bit before looking over the cadaver again. "It's a real mystery. I wish that I could say something helpful, but it's a bit beyond me." If he were pushed into making an assessment of the body, he'd chime in, but the Ventrue was keenly aware of how lacking he was when it came to investigating bodies. It was why he had called on Alicia to begin with.

[Alicia Silvers]

Handing the bag over towards him, doubting it would be particularly heavy in his hands if she could carry it with mostly just annoyance.
"I do believe it will be needed so to put it away would just make us have to go get it soon." So pointless. "Mighty kind of you for the aid, I should really look into some proper training to balance things better."

"We all have our ways, I am certain he says what just needs to be said." Offering a brief look towards his general direction with a light wink before refocusing on the Reeve. "I do not mind though, so do not take it to heart." Following along after him towards the study. "Would you prefer to take this in English or would you prefer it in German?" Knowing the former Mekhet Priscus was all to happy for a chance to speak in French during their last private encounter before he had left.

Following suite inside the room, not needing long before starting to move over towards the body, eyeing it for a moment. It was really a sad sight that her cousin would take all to harshly once it reached her ears.
"Well before doing as deep of a look as I can so will I say that the state of the body is clearly going to make it harder, it would have been ideal had I had the chance when things were still fresh." Sighing with a shake of the head. "That was why I tried to do it at the spot but the damn Kine´s were all to quick to arrive forcing us to take the body and leave." Which hadn´t exactly turned out ideal as the Prince never did call on her after to give her the chance and the unknown bastard at that. "It was in that moment I was also either followed by or saw the unknown male Kindred I shared news of whilst at the hotel she had been staying at along with the rest of her coterie."

Gesturing for her bag, and starting to pick out the things she would need to go over the body, making certain to put on the long gloves, apron, and mask for the sake of it, finishing by wrapping a hair tie around her hair.
"Do you have anything extra you would want for me to look at? Else I will just do as best as possible, including trying to look over her clothes for damages to determine possible angles have a weapon been used." That could give them details on weapons, height, right or left handed at least. "The body will likely need to be turned during the examination, are you good with helping out about that? If so here." Handing him a pair of long gloves. "Lastly I cannot say for certain but I am potentially going to need to cut into her flesh, do you have issues with that? And do recall I do not have a lab so this will again not be ideal." Now that would have been golden to have access to in this situation.

[Otto Schneider]

The Reeve nodded and took the bag, adjusting it to fit over his shoulder as he kept close to the Daeva. Otto quirked a brow at the offer to converse in German. "Nein," he said without a hint of irony, "I am a bit too rusty to have a proper, serious discussion in that manner. Though perhaps I shall rectify that in the future." He sounded pensive, but not dismissive of the idea.

He pursed his lips and nodded at her assessment of the body's decay. It wasn't an ideal situation, no, and he feared that he was partially responsible for not clearing matters for Alicia to assist sooner. But, there was no use in lamenting that fact and little utility in mentioning it. Her string of questions and comments about her procedure drew a partial shrug from the Ventrue before he absently rubbed his chin.

"Do whatever you have to, I don't mind. While I don't particularly enjoy the idea of ripping apart a cadaver, it's much more important to find a lead." It helped that the body in question belonged to a Kindred. Scripture stated that humanity was made in God's image, but the Sanctum taught that all vampires were damned to hell by default. Desecrating a Kindred 's body was hardly worse than that. "And I don't mind helping, where needed."

A bleak look overcame him for a moment before he shrugged it off. "I've seen Kindred ripped apart before. More importantly though..." Otto stopped to get a better look at the body. "If possible, I'd like to conduct this elsewhere. Assuming it wouldn't interfere, I'd prefer that this not happen in my office." He sighed. "Though, at this stage, I realize that may be impossible."

I am so, so sorry for missing this thread. I let myself get tricked by the Storyteller Marble into forgetting about it, but that's entirely on me.

[Alicia Silvers]

Now that was also a way to go about it.
"As you wish, the offer is open should you desire someone to help rectify that with." She certainly would appreciate the chance to attempt and speak her peoples tongue with someone, if not for anything else so for a chance to experience it. "On that topic, and to play with open cards is there a tongue you would like someone here to be versed in? You're predecessor spoke of Spanish when I posed a similar question to her." A disappointing answer as it had been.

Leaving him to process his thoughts in peace, no reaction to her words of presence at the scene did indeed mean that he either was already fully aware of all that had transpired at the scene or just good at keeping his mask. No matter which it told all she needed in the moment.

On that she could only shrug.
"It is merely a cadaver at this point, her loss is a loss to the ours, a loss to the domain, and a secondary loss to us both through our families." Turning her eyes towards the remains. "But that loss is there, even Kine know to cut into the remains to learn what they can about their fallen. I will however admit that I am at my core of a scientific mind." Which compared to beliefs of any kind did make certain matters easier to mentally separate, not that the sight wouldn´t likely had made her gag had she not spent weeks looking at photos of bodies and body parts.

Shaking her head.
"Not me against, I am already suited up, do you have something to transport the remains on and where to?" Lightly placing a finger against the chest with a very soft push. "We do need utmost care though, this process is vastly more rapid to what would be expected of a Kine, and the body has not been stored properly at all, quite frankly I would be concerned to take in the scents in here." Shamefully enough it would have been a good experience. "Based on a brief analysis so can we see that she is in early skeletal exposure with a heavily soft tissue decay, the remains should be considered extremely fragile. Frankly moving them can make parts of them collapse, even I could cause serious damage with my bare hands without much effort here." Not to aware of Kindred and Kine differences here though. "I am frankly surprised we have this much to work with, but rated on the position the remains have been kept in so would I have to estimate the process of not having been particularly moist, nor particularly cold, meaning we could be seeing some adipocere which indeed you would not want spilling out, that stuff is nasty." And part of why they needed gloves. "So if you truly wish to move them we need something very secure to move them on, and a very careful path, otherwise putting out some plastic sheets or similar which can be discarded after is our best bet."