Robbing a Bank

Location	First National Bank and Trust of Sacramento
Date Began	2012/02/13
Storyteller(s)	Steven
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Scene List

• Study Group w/ Dr. Brady
• Rob a Bank
• We Got It
• Returning to Regent Brady

Summaries

Study Group with Dr. Brady

• It's November 2011, Erika Brady, Regent of Citrus Heights has invited several Kindred to help her out with something. When a Regent asks for help, there are always some interested Kindred to find. She waited at the Sacramento University library with her research in front of her. One by one, the Kindred arrive: Lance Rayner, Daniella Sage, Jennifer Hazelton, Ricardo Rodriguez and Alice Brown. When they've all arrived, Erika Brady immediately gets to business:

"Look at this map and tell me what you see?" - Erika Brady ^[1]

• It turns out that what appears to be an old map of Sumeria is actually a blueprint of a bank. And the present Kindred will be robbing it. An old crown - that belonged to a certain John Zapoly - would be stored in the bank just one night. Erika wants it. When Alice Brown asks what it's worth to them, Erika explains that King Zapoly was a Nosferatu that might have used the helmet as an unyielding mask. It is now a mysterious artifact. It's in a safe box, so the team only has to retrieve that box.
• The Regent then leaves and the other Kindred can start planning their robbery. Lance Rayner is not up for, and decides to leave, but the others come up with something. Jennifer Hazelton will stay and try to hack her way through the bank's firewall, searching for information on security codes, surveillance and staff. The other three Kindred decide to go on a "recon" mission, to check the bank and make further plans.

"Enter the bank this evening, do a basic look around, get a feel for it, while you continue to work their system, and then we can scout a look out location?" - Daniella Sage ^[2]

• How do they do that? Simple. Alice Brown has business at the bank, Ricardo Rodriguez is her bodyguard. And Daniella Sage? She's Mekhet, obfuscate is her way to go.

Rob a Bank, Take 1

• It's 6:30pm as the Kindred recon team arrives at the First National Bank and Trust of Sacramento. It's about to close, so they have to hurry. Fortunately the idea is simple.

"I will be an art-dealer who wants to see if this bank is safe enough for some fine pieces of art. With that I hope they can show me more of the building." - Alice Brown ^[3]

"I will scan the outside of the building, look for alternative ways in and out. Which may come in handy once we actually go ahead with out plan." - Daniella Sage

• Not much later, Jennifer Hazelton joins the team, and obfuscated herself to scan the building just like Daniella Sage. Alice Brown and Ricardo Rodriguez make their way inside. On her search for information, a bank employee tells Alice that this bank might be the most secure facility on the West Coast. He tells her a lot, which shouldn't surprise anyone, the Daeva entranced the poor man. Outside, the two obfuscated ladies are about to get the same idea. This is a secure bank. They find different entrances, but they both are guarded. Daniella eavesdrops on a guard and a woman - who are making out - while Jennifer Hazelton sees a man approaching the bank. Then many things happen at the same time:
• Alice Brown gets a private tour to the vaults, where she says she wants to store some art. The manager is friendly and assists her, to a certain extent. But the Daeva wants it all, so she seduces the manager. With a little help from her Disciplines, Alice soon finds herself inside the vault. She's only worried about the cameras, you know, a short seduction should not become porn site material. The manager understands that, and he leaves to turn off the security cameras. Meanwhile the Daeva has a better plan: take the manager home for more quality time. He agrees and they go outside... leaving the vault door open. Once outside, the bank manager turns out to have a wife. She sees what Alice is about to do with her husband. Now that becomes a bitch fight that will take a while!
• Ricardo Rodriguez has to wait while Alice gets her tour, so he stays alone in the bank manager's office. An office with no cameras, and a laptop. Bingo. However, he's not able to get too much info, before the manager returns to turn off the cameras in the vault. But he is still inside the bank, ready to do something else. Like, check if the helmet is actually in the vault already. It might just be there. He only has to hold a few doors open for Daniella Sage on his way there.
• Daniella Sage takes advantage of the bad bad guard, and manages to slip inside the bank unnoticed. Once inside, she realizes that obfuscate doesn't work so well on CCTV, so her actions are quite suspicious. And she has to protect the Masquerade. She walks without the Cloak of Night, so soon someone asks her what she's doing in the bank. She saves herself by telling she forgot her phone. A good lie. So she continues her way inside. To an unguarded vault, where she finds a box with the label 'helmet'. Too bad though, that when she picks it up, the alarm goes off. She better hurry with taking that helmet outside!
• Jennifer Hazelton decides to follow the unknown man, towards the parking garage. She also finds her way inside the building. But she has to stop her pursuit when the others ask for digital assistance. When her job is done, she goes back home and leaves the others to their business.
• Everything works out fine for the Kindred. Two phones ring when the alarm goes off, one to the manager's office, one that Ricardo Rodriguez can answer. The other phone is the manager's cellphone, but Alice's hold over him so strong that he gives her the phone without a problem. Yes, the police is on the way, but only to check what seems to be a false alarm. The Kindred will be long gone before they arrive.

We Got It

Once they have the helmet, Alice Brown, Daniella Sage and Ricardo Rodriguez regroup at Nox|Avalon. Daniella wants to contact the Regent, but Alice has other plans.

"I actually want to know what it does. Aren't you curious what's so special about the helmet? We rightfully obtained it." - Alice Brown ^[4]

• The Daeva starts to inspect the helmet, and finds a very old piece of leather hidden it. Something is written on it. Alice's delicate hands make sure it doesn't fall to pieces when she lays the leather out flat, only to find out that the text is... unreadable. It is Hungarian, to be exact.

"Mind if I touch it?" - Daniella Sage ^[5]

• A Spirit's Touch, that is. And the Mekhet finds out it is a human back they're looking at. Alice Brown wants to investigate it further, to find out what the Hungarian text means. She proposes to give Erika Brady the helmet, but keep the leather. But her companions are against it, and convinced by their arguments, they return to Regent Brady.

"While I understand what you are saying Madam Harpy, and see the benefits of it, I am a little concerned. I think that skin is more important then the helmet. Hiding it in the helmet may have been a way to transport it, and I believe she already knows about it." - Daniella Sage ^[6]

"I think we should worry more about not damaging the skin that hiding it. We can't do much with it anyway, so in our hands, it isn't worth much. Let's just take it to her." - Ricardo Rodriguez

Returning to Regent Brady

When Erika Brady sees that the Kindred working for her opened the box, she's not happy. And somehow, she seems to know more about how their mission went. Really not happy.

"You know, I had thought to give you feeding rites in my Regency as a reward when this was completed. But as you could not follow instruction, and have risked the masquerade. I have decided to say thank you. I will allow you to keep any copies you have no doubt made, and wish you well in your future endeavors." - Erika Brady ^[7]

• Alice, on her turn, is not pleased with that and leaves.

"Thank you Dr. Brady. I appreciate the given opportunity for some entertainment. How unfortunate that such a gift ungiven will nullify the chance of future collaboration, as for the symbolism itself, I doubt if Citrus Heights would ever turn out to be worth the time traveling." - Alice Brown

• Daniella Sage and Ricardo Rodriguez leave in a better mood. They can see how well they worked together, and they hope to work again in the future.