A Hazy Shade of Winter - Crazy Nights

[Mick the Rogue]

"I was a troubled childe." he whispered back with a smile. "I can open it, can't help with any fancy tech... but not sure Fred would trust it." he said looking around at the stairs and the elevator, whether either had keycards or locks. He could sneak up there easily, he doubted Ms Liz would like him sneaking away though

 

 

[Hannah Lane]

“Maybe not … ,” she replied. “But maybe he would. No way to be certain and perhaps it’s best not to risk damaging anything.” Fred was a Primogen and one of the oldest Kinded in Baltimore. There had to be more to his haven security than Harry and a lock.

 

“Harry.” She said with a cheerful charmer’s game face on. He was walking a little way off, slouching, the remains of his earlier smile still on his face. The mortal seemed at a loss at what to do next. Stand there and keep an eye on these night visitors or go back to the door. When she had been young in England, these doormen were a dime a dozen. Ofttimes they doubled as butlers and every upscale house employed them. They were as common as dogs and treated only a little better. From where she was standing, Elizabeth could smell the cigarette odour on him.

 

“Harry.” She said again, catching his attention. She ‘pushed out’ then. That’s how she thought of it. Pushing out a wave at the man, like she had done to hundreds, maybe thousands of mortals over the years. It was a wave of need, of liking her, of wanting to please and be praised. It felt like throwing a smile across a room and it was aimed right between Harry’s eyes. [PRESENCE: Entrancement, 1BP]

 

“We are friends of Frederick’s and I am quite sure he wouldn’t want us to stand here in the middle of a cold night.” The undead woman stepped into the man’s personal space, with just the right look in her eyes. “Can you not see us to his rooms please? The boy is his nephew and really needs to be put to bed.”

Edited November 4, 2022 by Hannah Lane (see edit history)

[UTasteSoSo]

Benji had dropped into a sullen silence as the group had traveled to Freddie's. He wasn't sad for the loss really but the overall situation was shocking. The 'episode' and the spider head were traumatic but seeing more than a few rather influential kindred end up greasy ash was something else entirely. Benji did not feel safe and the hope for that comfort he might have had a few hours ago was completely washed away like a sandcastle too long on the beach.

 

The boy perked up when he realized the ruse, "I am so tired."  He punctuated his statement with a rub of his small hands over one eye and a quick but deep yawn. He looked up again at his companions, "Where is uncle Freddie? It's too cold out here." He was no child but he had been one and in many ways was one much longer than any mortal might contend, so he laid it on a bit thick with the routine. 

[ArcaneDesperado]

The doorman smiled as he let them all shuffle into the main lobby area.   His smile was bright.  Unnatural bright.  He was certainly under the sway of trying to be as pleasant as possible. One of his eyes seemed to twitch as mentally something was struggling internally in is mind.  A grimace flashed across his face for a brief second as if someone plunged a dagger into his skull. The face was back to a massive smile though just as fast. 

 

I am more than happy to let you all spend as long as you need here in the heated lobby....   I have coffee and cocoa I can offer you.  I might even have some snacks tucked away. 

 

His eye twitched again. One of his hands as his side clenched painfully.  The grin on his face stretching wider still. 

 

I have worked here long enough though for Mr. Mercury... To know that no one on close terms calls him Fredrick.  He abhors it.  Plus that he has no living family.  

 

The lobby itself was fairly spacious. A main security desk was straight ahead from the front doorway.  A closed down was behind it. Off to the left, the wall was decorated with mailboxes and a waterfall feature trickled down peacefully. A little cove tucked around behind the mailboxes, for what looked to be most likely a janitor closet. Over to the right were a number of chairs and sofa area. A television on a center pillar was playing the local news, though the volume was currently muted.  Beyond the seating area was a small hallway area that went to the elevator and what looked to be two other doors. 

 

The man slowly moved back towards the security desk.  

 

You... are welcome to go ahead and sign in.  

 

A drop of blood dripped from his clenched hand at his side to the tile floor. White knuckled as he glanced back with a twinkle in his eye.

[Mick the Rogue]

Peter raised an eyebrow. He could tell mental commands conflicting, hadn't seen it himself but Jack had seen it plenty. He wrote down the the name 'Jonathan Doeaux' down, one of Jack's other names. He sat down, looking for a magazine, and would wait for Liz to make her play. He would prefer to stay with his two clanmates, but he could sneak with the best of them if needed. He'd wait on the other two to see how they responded to the doorman's resistance. He had a primogen-level of mental enthrallment, it would take time for it to unwind...

 

 

[Hannah Lane]

Like a paranoid shark Elizabeth’s eyes shot towards the man’s bleeding palm. The hunger stabbed at her entrails again. On instinct her body had put two steps towards the red patch on the floor before she caught herself.

 

Her feelings towards the doorman were decidedly less warm than 10 seconds ago. The mangy sack of bones, reeking of cheap tobacco, earning a living watching black-and-white screens on which less happened than in a buster Keaton movie. He was wrapped tight in Mercury’s mental straightjacket and he’d told her off. He had cramped up at the emotional mauling she’d given, twitched like a mouse trapped under a sheet, but still he croaked out a ‘no’. Not many mortals had spoken that word to the blonde Malkavian in the current century, not many at all. Black irritation reared its ugly head and she was perfectly prepared to hate him for the slight, conditioning or not.  

 

“Jack." Her voice was a whisper of a whisper. "Can you go alone?” Her eyes shot up momentarily indicating, well … up.

Edited November 7, 2022 by Hannah Lane (see edit history)

[Mick the Rogue]

Peter would get up with a smile and walk past a pillar in the lounge area. As soon as eyes were averted, Peter disappeared from sight. The cameras still saw him, an unfortunate oversight of his forbears, but it was enough to prevent people looking untowards at him. Peter knew enough about Freddie that he could impersonate him, but he had never been much of an actor. He would go towards the elevator/door area and see if he could go up...

[ArcaneDesperado]

The doorman seemed to not to have noticed Peter/Jack's little disappearing act.  The swirling conflicting disciplines from several different vampires now fighting within his inner psyche.  His focus seemed to still be on making coffee it seemed.  It was a simple task that his brain seemed to be able to focus on.   Meanwhile the news feed on the television seemed to go into breaking local news.  "Bloody violent attacks across Baltimore"  ran across the ticker tape at the bottom.  The volume was muted but scenes outside of several different clubs around the city flashed across.  Police lights flashed parked in front of them.   People crying towards the camera.  At least "four separate attacks" could be seen on the tape.  "Fifteen dead" 

 

 

[UTasteSoSo]

Benji was miffed that they were not able to get past the door man but he knew too well what his clanmates might be capable of. He could have gone too but didn't want to pique the man's curiosity further. 

 

"What is all that about?" He motioned toward the TV and the 'widespread violence' they were reporting. Perhaps tonight's event was was much bigger than he would have taught.

[Hannah Lane]

“What, Benjamin?” Elizabeth came to stand next to the boy and looked at the TV screen. What she saw there was enough to bring the earlier anxiety back full and front. Red sky, dead Kindred.

 

No more voices ...

 

And attacks across the city. Fifteen dead. The face of Alandra Stien flickered though Elizabeth’s mind. Alandra. who had said she was hankering to hunt live prey in a nightclub tonight. Had she gone, after Elysium, after Stone had been through with her? Was she alright? And what about Gentlemen? Her own business and haven. It was open at this time of night and at this hour there were bound to be some people there still. Had it been attacked? Normally anything out of the ordinary, let alone any violence should have resulted in a call from Peter. But Peter was outside waiting in the car. She asked Angela, one of the older girls, to mind things tonight. Could she … could something have happened?

 

“The city is coming apart at the seams. We are wasting our time here.” She gave a look to the doorman fiddling with coffee mugs to underline her point. “I need to make a call.” She clicked through menus on her phone for the right number and ended with a jab on the green phone icon. It was the number of the phone at the bar of Gentlemen. The metallic ringing sound went once, twice, three times …

[Mick the Rogue]

Peter, either unaware of uncaring, about the violence, would do his best to make his way upstairs. Either into the elevator (pressing it shouldn't trigger the magic to dissolve) or going upstairs...

[ArcaneDesperado]

Hannah could be slightly relived that Gentlemen had not been subjected to the chaos that was going around the city.  At least not yet. Several of the girls however had been able to gather information and most of the clubs that had seen the violence erupt tonight had been known in Kindred circles as primary hunting locations.  Based on several of the attacks and sudden frenzies at Elysium it wasnt hard to connect the dots of what was likely going on.   

 

Meanwhile upon pressing the button, the elevator would light its decent from two floors up. While the magic wouldnt be affected from Peter's manipulation of it. The elevator might ding on its arrival.  The sound potentially altering the doorman to someone trying to use it. 

[Hannah Lane]

“Close up now, Angela.” Elizabeth said with a note of relief. Her home was safe. The world had come crashing down around her enough for one night. The phone disappeared again and she returned to Benji and the TV screen.

 

“It’s happening all of the city.” Her voice was kept low, too quiet from the mortal. “Frenzy. Perhaps the entire country.”

 

Or the world. There’s a sunshine thought.

 

Harry the door guy chose that moment to finish his coffee. It had been a bit of awkward with one hand bloodied. The sod likely didn’t want to hand a blood-streaked hot chocolate mug to a child. Ironically the blood would be the only thing the child could have enjoyed

 

“You’re bleeding.” She said matter-of-factly. “You should clean that. Could you please show me to a bathroom? I’d like to freshen up as well.” Relying on the kindness forced on him, the hope was that he would accompany her to a bathroom.

Edited November 18, 2022 by Hannah Lane (see edit history)

[Mick the Rogue]

Peter would wait, just outside of sight of the elevator. Jack was paranoid, overly cautious, Peter knew he was a sneaky bastard and didn't worry about some doorman noticing him through the veil

[UTasteSoSo]

Benji watched the TV and the chaos that it was showing. Whatever it was it had effected the city and beyond. The young Kindred didn't know much about the end of the world but this seemed like the beginning of a lot of those types of movies. He sat quietly and took the now bloodied mug of cocoa from the man feigning a sip. "Thank you."

 

More or less Benji watched the news idly keeping an eye on the doorman as he went.