Chapter One Discussion(s)

[Cirlot]

Short post up to keep the momentum going, and it's the nature of the current Q&A I think; one question leads to another so it's hard to bake a bunch in.

[Cirlot]

Sorry for the shortish post - writing this on a borrowed laptop. With any luck I'll have the parts in hand for my own within a day or two.

[AberrantForm]

Roger that. Hope the damage to ur checking account wasn't too heavy! I live in terror of something going amiss with my PC.

[AberrantForm]

Apologies for the delayed response. A maelstrom of events kept me pretty tied up. Did you get your PC issue resolved?

[Cirlot]

It did! It's interesting how unnerving it is to be without it even for just a day or two, but all's well that ends well 😅

And no worries about the delayed response; it was worth waiting for and it's interesting watching the relationship between them develop, even if it is all in Kit's head. I'm hoping some of the intuitive leaps I'm having him make feel grounded: trying to divorce the metaknowledge I have of VtM and have him react authentically but he's also by and large and student and manipulator of people, so finding the chinks in Rin's armor and position seems IC on that basis, I think.

[AberrantForm]

Your leaps are well founded and logical from Kit's perspective. It is interesting to see the relationship unfold. And just because something is in your head, doesn't mean it isn't REAL. As far as metaknowledge, I haven't noticed any trangressions on your part, so carry on!

I almost went on and on with her response, but decided not to unload the schpeel all in one text wall. As the night goes on, she will provide more details on these terms she is throwing at you (camarilla, kaeyoni, shukan, courts, primogen, prince, etc). But, if Kit asks specifically about one or more of these outright, she will answer accordingly.

[Cirlot]

Alright, a bit truncated but I'll confess to struggling with transitions - Kits going to go to the car, pop the bottle in the trunk (probably throw up somewhere along the way, as I assume the Blush of Life will fade soon) and then head over to Urban Trails. Not sure whether Rin will be persistent the entire trip or not: I'm reasonably comfortable invoking her in my posts for emotiona resonance and that sort of dialogue but she's in full Sire mode so not feeling like I should presume to speak for her at the moment . . .

[Cirlot]

Wasn't quite sure if you wanted Me to paint a scene and have Kit answer Rin or not - if yes, let me know and I'll expound.

[AberrantForm]

Sorry, should've been clearer. Go ahead and expound. Here is a key thing you notice:

You can now hear the heartbeat and slight snoring of a man sleeping behind a dumpster just feet away from you. He is apparently sleeping under a red tarp. You can clearly distinguish HIS smells from the rest.

 

All this below is to paint a picture and provide context for the scope of Auspex at this level in this moment. Use as much or little of it as you want. Add to it. Alter it.

Your vision still cannot penetrate the darkest section of alley ahead, but all the dimly-lit vague shapes in between are clearer now. Still colorless, but the edges seem sharper, the silhouettes more defined. You see a cat staring at you from underneath a cart about twenty feet ahead. There is some occasional trash along the alley floor, but for the most part it is kept-up. You do see a ways down, past the dark section of alley before you, a distant orange-ish light, and the outlines of a few people on the edge of the light, a hundred or more feet away from where you are now. The appears to be smoking and talking, just hanging out in the alley.

You are about sixty foot deep into the alley, just past where the ambient city glows end. The backsides of many tall buildings block the majority of the urban glow. The alley is near twenty foot wide but dozens of small dumpsters, several carts, and more than a few motorcycles take up a share of space. The backs of some the buildings to either side have many windows, though most are dark. On the alley level it is mostly dark, with the occasional back door light or glowing decorations illuminating the otherwise shadow-drenched passage.

Before, you could hear some muffled voices from the buildings to either side of you, vague music from somewhere deeper in the alley, cars driving by the alley entrance. Now, you can clearly hear two separate conversations happening in the apartments to either side of you. You can clearly make out the Lofi blaring from cheap computer speakers, emanating from an open window somewhere in the next building down, on the right. Echoes of an airplane engine far overhead. You can hear some rats furtively sneaking along the back of the dumpster next to you. You hear dozens of small and singular sounds from all around, almost continually. The scraping of a newspaper page as it meanders down the sidewalk. The closing of doors near and far. Toilets flushing and faucets pouring. Several TVs going. A microwave chimes. A phone rings. A baby cries. A dog barks. Fingers click-clacking away on a keyboard. People snoring. A laugh. Someone playing peggle. Your hearing essentially penetrates into the nearest rooms of the buildings around you, and even a little into the spaces beyond. You hear the small high-pitched buzzing of gnats. Of all the senses, this one probably is the most challenging to manage. Alot of noise to filter. From the unceasing high-pitched buzzing of a gnat ten feet away to the cacophony of vehicle racket clattering and echoeing from all directions. And it never ends.

Before, you mostly smelled exhaust and trash, but now you can clearly pick out dozens of scents, some of which you can't determine the source of, though one of the scents is clearly sewage fumes.

You feel the subtle air currents about you, the slight changes in temperatures. You are acutely aware of the touch of your clothing, the differences in fabrics against your skin. You are more aware of the weight of you clothes and the various items in pockets.