Keeping a Promise - Chapter 2

[Otto Schneider]

The Reeve of Sacramento was hidden behind a blind spot of the entrance of a man's apartment. It had taken months of preparation, yet this was the exact spot he wanted to be. If all went as he had hoped, his prey would walk through the door alone and the Priest could begin his final Confession. If God had other designs, well... faith required that he overcome certain trials in the pursuit of righteousness. It would not dissuade him from his self-appointed task.

Equipment

Smartphone, $200 in cash, antique rosary

[Seryna]

The door opened. A man walked in, carrying a briefcase in one hand and a cell phone in the other.

"I'm telling you, Gage, she won't say nothing." The man speaks with confidence. "Never do. Now I'm beat. You sure we can't talk about this tomorrow?"
The mortal stands in the threshold, the door to the hallway open. The man is juggling items in his hand.

"No." He replies with irritation to whoever is on the phone. "I told you, I can't get out of it. Uncle Anthony is a shark."
The mortal straightens slightly. He drops the briefcase onto the floor in the hall as he scans his main room in his apartment.
What do you do?

[Otto Schneider]

The Reeve's exact reaction would partly depend on whether he recognized the voice and general appearance of his prospective victim as the same man he met in the park so many months ago. However, whether he recognized the man or not, the Priest would attempt to remain in the stranger's blind spot for as long as possible before standing between the other man and the door. At the very least, Otto was aiming to wait for the man to end the call before revealing himself.

The plan was simple at this stage: Trap Alaric in his apartment, remove his ability to call for help, coax him to follow along to the van and take him back to Moore House for final confession. Most of the plan hinged on repeated use of his Clan's signature Discipline, but there was little reason for restraint; Otto had been planning this confrontation for months.

If it's impossible to escape the other man's sight, Otto would settle for making sure he can look his target in the eyes when he inevitably turns around.

[Seryna]

The mortal is frowning as he steps into his apartment. He leaves the doorway to the hallway standing open, and his bag is set on the floor there. The tinny sound of a man's voice sounds over the open phone line from the expensive phone in Alaric's hand. Alaric ignores the phone for a moment as he steps three feet into the apartment.

Otto does not believe that he has been seen.

"Something is weird." Alaric cuts over his conversation partner as he speaks on the phone. "Get over here. Yeah. No, I don't want to get off the phone."
Alaric slowly turns in place, his eyes going to the door to his office.

"No, nothing has been stolen. And the wench was at her desk. The tub was patrolling. But if they got my files... No." He's shaking his had. "That would take hours... and I don't see anyone."

The expensive cell phone was placed on the end table by the front door. The line remains open.

Alaric is now standing at the doorway to his apartment.

[Otto Schneider]

Damnation. Otto hadn't anticipated his prey being quite so canny. Still, it didn't change the overall trajectory of his plan. And more importantly, he hadn't been outright exposed yet. From his position in the blind spot, the Reeve would move to shut the door (discreetly, if possible) and lock it before reaching out a hand to snatch up the phone and terminate the call.

What was most important was trapping his prey. Everything else was ancillary, even ending the phone call. If he couldn't manage it, he would suffice by positioning himself between the front door and Alaric. How the Ventrue responded next depended largely on Alaric, but if he turned to see the Kindred, he would find that Otto was bearing a sinister grin.

[Seryna]

Otto is able to slam the door shut, making some noise in the hall. He is able to lock the door to the outside. To reach out and snatch the phone from the mortal, please give me a Dexterity + Brawl or Dexterity + Weaponry roll

[Otto Schneider]

4 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2026-06-16 19:47:05	Otto Schneider rolls 8 to Snatch Phone (Dex + Brawl) (10 Again, WillPower)	1, 10, 6, 10, 3, 9, 4, 5, 1, 8	4 successes

With startling accuracy and speed that came from both practice and sheer will, the Reeve managed to slam the door shut with the heel of his foot before grabbing phone and pressing the 'end call' icon on the screen. It wasn't quite so perilous as trying to disarm a hostile Kindred in a fight to the death, but the Priest felt much of the same sense of urgency. The Kindred stuffed the stolen phone into his pocket before focusing on his prey.

"Hello." He said simply, unable to keep a hateful grin from settling on his face. "You may not remember me, but I remember you. And your victims." The Ventrue stalked forward to approach the man. "You have one chance to give a full confession, in your own words. Then we do things the hard way." Otto felt himself unconsciously tighten his fists in anticipation, a reflex from several fights. He had little doubt that, if he needed to, he could crush Alaric's bones with his bare hands. That wasn't the goal, however. How many of them did you make scream and beg first, reprobate? How many innocents did you slay in pursuit of your perverse cruelties?

Equipment

Smartphone, $200 in cash, antique rosary

[Seryna]

There was a quiet gasp.
The mortal mind stuttered for a moment as he tried to rectify what had happened. One moment, he was peering around the room with the sense that something was not right. Now, there's a grown man talking to him - in HIS space - and he plucked the phone right out of his hand before he could react! The man's expression flecked from creeping suspicion, to startled - right back to suspicion. He peers into Otto's face in the available light, silent. The moment is long as he stares at Otto.

"Victims." The mortal says it slowly. As though tasting it.

He does not comply.

"Who are you?"

The man is staring at Otto and another emotion is starting to enter his eyes. Tension is starting to creep across his attractive face.

"I think there has been some misunderstanding. The girls, you see. They like me. Yet somehow, things never work out right," He pauses in his sentence as he studies Otto's reaction.

[Otto Schneider]

Ah, I see we're choosing the hard way. The stream of lies flowing from the other man's mouth almost made Otto wince. But the Reeve managed to condense his feelings into a chiding click of his tongue. "A liar as well as a murderer. You are doing yourself little favor."

A part of the Priest made him want to grab Alaric by the neck and start wringing the truth out of him manually. However, the more sophisticated part of Otto's mind won out and he refrained from manhandling his victim for the time being. "Let's just say, for the sake of simplicity, that I've already been informed of your crimes." The Reeve fidgeted with his tie and took a couple of steps closer to Alaric.

"I know you're not a saint." He said with a mirthless smile. "And I know that you're making desperate excuses, now. Who am I? I am your judge and executioner. And I am not amused." The Ventrue took another handful of steps closer to the kine before him. "In case it wasn't obvious, you're trying my patience. I gave you an opportunity to deal fairly with me and you're squandering it."

Rip him to pieces.

The Beast was in his ear, goading him into simple violence. It would, if nothing else, be the simplest way to resolve the encounter. "Let me ask you a question... do you believe in God?" Certainly, it wasn't a simple question, but how the other man reacted would do much to inform how Otto would handle him.

Equipment

Smartphone, $200 in cash, antique rosary