Sabbat : The Next Chapter

[Keira Kelly]

As Jenn and Nico were talking, there was a light rap at the doorway. She turned to see Derrick, their current newest member. She could feel the difference the Vaulderie had made as she laid her eyes upon the Ravnos, acknowledging the somewhat warmer feelings she had for the kid. Not that they were terribly strong but the bond was there now. She at least somewhat trusted him now. That the kid wanted to go and stake the target out immediately impressed her just a little bit. The kid was eager, she'd give him that. She gave her permission and watched the Ravnos quickly leave before turning back to Nicolai and what they were talking about previous.

She smiled, amused. "When did I ever say that we needed true evidence?" she asked rhetorically. She had planned on fabricating whatever they needed the moment she had come up with the idea. "It just needs to be us who 'uncovers' this 'evidence'." she explained. She waved a hand off. "Of course it will take some doing but.. it will be more than worth it. And it will be less doing than going about it the old fashioned way and waiting for the seat to vacate itself." she added. She listened intently to Nico's proposal for the fake evidence. "We will need to bring in these Cammies... but we need to bring in our true targets as well into this. That would be quite a thing.. somehow getting the two groups to actually meet and us taking photographic evidence of it.. But how to do so without them annihilating each other?" she asked.

She paused, brow furrowing. "We had success in what we did before, to capture the top Costellos... What if we made a puppet out of who ever took over?" she asked. Between the two of them, she knew how much they could twist and manipulate a mind. Brutus and her Strike Team were evidence of that, not to mention the handful of Costellos they had diablerized. "Send them to the Archbishop, perhaps with intent to betray the Camarilla? If we took pictures, it would be impossible to tell what they spoke of at this meeting, only the knowledge that our Archbishop was meeting with our enemy..." she suggested. It was a good thing that the current Archbishop was not Lasombra, else pictures would have been useless.

She smiled more broadly at Nico's following words. Twisted and beautiful.. she liked that. That was the way a Toreador worked. These plans they had to achieve her goals.. they were almost a form of art in themselves and the less people could see the strings behind the workings, the more beautiful the whole thing was. She scoffed at his next words. "Set standards for them?" she echoed with a laugh. "My dear, brother.. they couldn't hope to live up to our standards..." she replied. "Trying would make them all the better for it but.. they are not our equals and I will see to keeping them that way." None would ever threaten whatever power she could gain.

[Aedan Travius]

Isis drove like a demon to the garage. She was annoyed. Then she smiled. She was in charge of this ragtag group of thieves. They would never be true sabbat, but she was already in some ways in a form of leadership. An early proving ground, and with the way Nico planned on moving himself and Jen up, that would leave 'positions' of sorts open in the future. She had gotten lucky having Nico for a sire. Though, true, her services to him had been no small feats.

She got out of the car, walking like a boss, All there, whispering, getting excited. All eyes were on her, just the way she liked it. "We have a new task, gentlemen, and it will take no small amount of research, and by research of course I mean you scrapping up every piece of info, blueprints, security companies, how many guards, security awards, everything on a very very special target....."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back at the Haven
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Dearest sister, while its just us....I've been thinking about this for awhile. My mentor, she has a haven, one that can only be reached through shadow stepping. Something only those of us with elder blood are capable of. I was thinking of making a panic room of sorts. A complete emergency plan for us to not only get to a place unreachable and findable, but leave body replacements and burn the place down, make the world think we're dead in a pinch if the need ever arises. I don't see a need for it anytime soon, but Noah didn't build the ark after the flood, he built it before it started raining...Whats your opinion on the matter?"

[Keira Kelly]

Jenn arched an eyebrow at the Lasombra as he began to speak again, curious at what else he wanted to talk about. As he explained, she could begin to see the merit of such an idea... even if she would be totally reliant on Nicolai for such an eventuality. She didn't like that idea so much but she did enjoy remaining alive.. or.. undead or.. whatever their current state was called. She wanted to stay here, in this world, in full control of her body.. and the vampiric powers and blood were just an added benefit. Screw whatever was out there if anything; she wanted the comforts and pleasures of this world and as a Cainite, as long as she was careful enough, she had eternity to enjoy it all.

Finally she nodded. "I like the idea, Nico. Run with it. Find a suitable location. With what we are doing.. with what we will be doing, we will become targets, either from the Cammys should they find us, from any Sabbat who finds out methods.. undesirable or any others who are ambitious but stupid enough to try to displace us." she agreed. "While I don't envision anyone being stupid enough to try anything against us, I wouldn't mind having a fall back. Good thought, brother. The bodies though.. well, we have the two teams. While Shadow Team may not reside here, Strike team does and they are not known to others. If it comes down to it, they will be left here." she explained. "If the place burns, hopefully their bodies will be good enough."

She didn't really like the idea of losing her Strike Team; their capture and conversion had taken a fair bit... but when it came down to it, they had been made to be a dangerous though expendable force. If it saved the lives of her and.. well at least a few members of the pack, that was what mattered. Her and Nico could always find new lackeys. She glanced off towards the direction the front door was. She was desiring something. "If that is all, business-wise.. I'm thinking I might like to do some hunting tonight while all is still quiet..." she said. She glanced back, with a wicked smile. "What about you, Nico? Hungry?"

[Aedan Travius]

"Hmmm...we'll figure something out. Actually, servants. We need them, to spoil us, to make us look good, etc. We'll pick one to match each of us, generally speaking, and if it comes up, they'll be most disposable. That strike team was a bitch to acquire, and I'd rather that be a one time thing. Besides, you love how they adore you, so." he said with a wink, "And now that you mention it, I'm starving" he replied, but his mind was still running through details. There was a limit to his jump, and he knew it well. He didn't want it one jump away either, three would be safest. On the off chance another Lasombra elder came for them, they'd obviously check just under the building, so that wouldn't do. He would have to do his homework, and quick. With the way things were moving, a storm could come any moment.

"Where are we off to?"


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At the bank...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Isis was getting hungry, but she wanted more intel. They had gotten footage in fairly high detail of the whole of the outside. One of her pups said he would have the blueprints by nights end. He looked eager to serve, she would keep an eye on that one if he succeeded. "I bet all that still won't be enough for that no good son of a bitch. I...mean...dammit. This isn't even for him! That asshole!" "What m'am?" "Nothing! Shut up! How's that intel going?""We got what we need for now, after we get the blueprints, some of us will use it to get a better idea of how the hell to get in there so we can get more footage to work with, more importantly, figure out how we're going to get the money in that safe..."

[Ghaz]

Once Derrick arrived to the location he looked around seeing the building he looked at it. He began to wonder how they were going to do it exactly and what was the plan if anything were to go wrong. Derrick looked around getting a feel for his surroundings and tried to map out all the buildings in the area in his head. He wanted to memorize all he could but he mainly wanted to remember the more important things. He looked at the building thinking 'I so excited to get this started I almost cant wait.' Derrick walked around for a little getting use to the streets that are around the building trying to memorize them since it could be important.

Once he walked back to the building where everything is going to go down. Derrick took out the piece of paper they gave him and tried to draw a detailed picture of the building. He began to try to sketch the patterns on the bricks the how the room was trying memorize every small detailed he could remember so that when he could create the illusion that they are going to need to pull this job off. Derrick looked at his drawing thinking 'Man I can draw I must be an artist or something.' After a bit Derrick began to walk back to where he was going to be living thinking I wonder if they will like my drawing. While walking he took out his drawing looking at his child like drawing with detailed that he knew he could understand.

[Keira Kelly]

Jenn chuckled in response to Nico's statement. It was true, too true. Ever since.. Ever since she had blood-bonded Jess near the start, she had grown to love having someone completely loyal at her every beck and whim. It wasn't out of laziness though. She just liked the feeling of having power over others. Perhaps like was too weak a word for it. Power over others was what drove her. What Elisabeth had taught her had only awakened that hunger, that lust for power and now she revelled in it. She frowned slightly, wondering what had happened to her one-time best friend. She had disappeared and Jenn hadn't even noticed... but then again, there had been a lot of upheaval, and they'd even changed locations since the last time Jenn had seen the human. She began to realize that she really didn't care though... except that the other young woman's existence was a loose end. Likely not dangerous though to her. In addition, she reminded herself that she'd have to pay a visit to Carlos at some point soon again. But not tonight. And so, she put it from her mind, returning her attention to what Nico was saying.

She couldn't help but smile as her Strike Team was brought up again, and she gave the Lasombra a conceding gesture. "They were and so would I... I'm just saying I'd rather them than me if it comes down to it." she replied. She chuckled again, thinking about their adoration and how delicious it was. And, at times, enjoyable. "You don't know how right you are, brother. I do love it.. and it's in no small part thanks to you. We did quite the good job on them. Brutus too." she added. Nico had changed their memories.. and wiped large portions of them away, and while that was a huge, important part, Jenn's own contribution of actually warping the emotions of her pets towards herself wasn't inconsequential either. "Ah, an own personal man-servant.. yes, yes, that will definitely do." She arced an eyebrow with a mischievous smile. "How do you think Stokes would take to having a servant?" she asked with a laugh. "He might actually end up with less class and style than his servant..." She had been joking but there was truth behind it.

"Hmm.." said Jenn when Nico asked where they should go. There weren't too many night spots in the general vicinity. At least, of any quality, but she didn't want to go too far. It was only a quick bite to eat anyways. "The bar up on Broadway." she decided finally. They had used it a few times but she had made sure everyone in the pack knew and adhered to not using it often, especially if they were choosing to kill their prey. It wouldn't do to upset the humans in the area, near to their haven, looking for who was thinning the herd. There was an idea for if they ever needed to passively attack another pack.... Something to keep in mind. She held out a hand towards Nico. "So, brother... how do you want to get there?" she asked, knowing his likely answer. Though it was different, she didn't mind the shadow-jumping he did. It was.. fun.

[Aedan Travius]

Nico smiled, "Shadow jumping, its the safest for us..." A flash in his mind, a possibility, a vision, he didn't know. What if he couldn't always be there for his sister? What if he could summon a creature, find one powerful enough in the void, one he could make a deal with to jump her from shadow to shadow as she required. He would study. Time was on their side, and he knew it was possible, or he'd create a void creature for the task. He was pretty sure it had never been done, but why live eternity if not to continue evolution?

He shook it off. "I am getting hungry...lets go."
As he fell through each shadow he started to realize he wasn't just teleporting, he was in the void plane. He should be able to stop at anytime and just stay there. Perhaps that was the truth of it, every shadow a gateway to the shadow plane. maybe thats all she really needed, a familiar to play the key.

As they came out of the last shadow, in the allyway around the corner, he looked around. There were no camera's visible that he could see, he normally didn't concern himself with such, but he took special precautions when with Jen. "So since we can't kill them, once the plan? Could do a party thing, invite a whole bunch out, you use your presence to draw them into coming, we feed on all of them, but leave them alive, and healed, none the worse for wear. Hence the party, I'll lost about a half dominating both of ours, but if we bring a whole lot of them back home, talk them into inviting their friends, hell, maybe we can eventually develop the cainite answer to delivery orders, and even after losing half too each, I simply need to eat twice as much." He said with a chuckle. Somehow despite everything, his mind always went back to infrastructure. So much to build, and his obsession likely made him one of the more productive priest in New York.

[Keira Kelly]

The jumping through shadows was exhilarating, quick flashes of light and dark, warm temperatures with sharp daggers of freezing cold but it was all over in mere moments. Jenn and Nico stood in an alleyway. Normally the shadows of the alley would have seemed dark as pitch but after the travel, it seemed bright to Jenn as her eyes tried their best to adjust. She glanced around, realizing that the alley was the one beside their destination, not that she had doubted in Nicolai's ability. She gave him a pleased smile until he started talking.

She arched an eyebrow at Nico. "Are you that hungry?" she asked. "I only want a small drink but if you need more, this time, I'm prepared to allow a kill or two." she told him. "I trust you, Nico. One or two missing this one time won't bring trouble down on us. I know with you, well.. you understand the necessity of keeping the heat away from our haven. I still have yet to see if the others can understand the reasoning." That was the main reason she had imposed strict rules for feeding nearby. "Another time, it might be an idea to start a herd like that... Or..." A thought came to her. "Perhaps we can even buy that deli across the road from us... turn it into a bar ourselves. Money is becoming less and less an issue and with the multitude of small delis in the area, we could easily offer more than they would normally make in a year. With a bar that close, it should be easy to create a small... or larger herd of regulars for us to feed on as we need." She smiled viciously. "Make it a 'vampire' bar and I'm sure we'd have all the willing donors we could ask for... There are plenty such themed dives around the city. Why not have one to serve us!" She chuckled.

"But for tonight, I'd rather not draw things out too much. How hungry are you?" she asked. "One would be easy enough to convince outside for you, my brother, but.. if you need more, I'm sure we can figure out something." she added.

( So Jenn only needs about 2 blood points to be full, Nico needs 11.. which is 1 human + 1... could get by with only taking 2 and only killing one of those.. Could even bring Jenn's victim back to the haven, perhaps for Derrick XD. He still needs to feed more and I think Jenn would want to see him enjoy himself more than he did with the other. )

[Aedan Travius]

Nico thought for a moment, their own nightclub. It was fantastic! "I do adore you sister...that will be incredible! We'll have to renovate it madly of course, but its an idea with so much promise! Though in regards to tonight, since your letting me break the rules a bit, we'll just grab a few then. We'll leave a survivor, I'll mangle their memory to think they committed the murders just for fun. I mean, if we're going to make this the worst night of their lives, might as well go all the way" He said with a hint of sadism.

"Well then, after you." He said with a smile.

Nico found what he was looking for inside, a scandalous couple, both with wandering eyes. They were either incredibly shallow, con artist or just overglorified jackers. In any case, they would make do perfectly...He waited for Jen to make her move, though he kept in close proximity to them. When the moment was right, he would tell her to follow, and leave, he would of course follow her, and he could take care of both of them outside....

[Keira Kelly]

Jenn couldn't help but laugh at Nico's enthusiasm for her idea. She knew it was a good idea but to see her pack-brother's face alight at the hearing of it made her feel proud. There were very few opinions she respected, but Nicolai was at the top. She found herself nodding to what Nico was saying. That was one thing she loved about the Lasombra: she need merely give him her ideas and he ran with it. But then.. this was why she was leader and he was her lieutenant in the pack. It was a perfect combination. "We'll gut it." she agreed about the building. "Even remodel the front as we need it, since money isn't really an issue. Even if we run out.. we just blood bond all of them." she added with a cruel smile.

She glanced back at the bar where they were headed as Nico drew the topic back to tonight. She loved what he said. 'Since your letting me break the rules'. Nico, with the body of an elder Lasombra, bowed to her so easily. She had earned his loyalty, of course.. but she revelled in having power over those around her. She loved it. While she revelled in it, she wouldn't lord it over those closest to her. That was the way to breed resentment and mutiny. She loved her power but she was smart about it. And she owed Nico as much as he owed her. Her cruel smile returned. "Mine will be the survivor, since I only need a sip or two." she replied. She relished the imagining of what the poor sap would awaken to. What sort of life they would trap the blood bag in. Now THAT was power.

That brought her a thought. While she could mould a person's very emotions to her own will.. what would it be like to also reshape memories as Nicolai did as well? It would take time to learn but she wanted to learn. It was one thing to be able to break a body, to kill.. it was something else entirely to remake a person into what she wanted, at least on the inside. She flicked a finger in the air. "Start teaching me how to dominate the minds when we get some time, Nico. I gotta learn that..." she said with a chuckle. "But yeah, that sounds perfect. They take the blame. Oh, this is delicious..." she added with a laugh. "Dead is dead but this... this is a torment that will carry on. I love it!"

She went inside the club first at Nico's urging. It wasn't that big but it was big enough for their purposes. Big enough and crowded enough to remain as anonymous as they needed to. It seemed there was a baseball game going on on the TV sets anchored near the ceiling around the bar, a hometown game, which accounted for the crowd. Inside, they split off. They may have been as close as siblings, bound to a pack... but vampires were still solitary hunters. They had to be to stay under the radar. Jenn headed alone to the far end of the bar. There were more men than women there which would make her preferred prey all the easier to catch. She stopped near the end of the bar, close enough to be visible to passersby, far enough that the overworked bartender ignored her for the moment.

"Hey, can I get you a drink?" came a male voice from behind.

Jenn turned, studying the suitor. Tall... buffed.. ruggedly handsome. The guy looked like he could have been a baseball player. He would do nicely. Very nicely indeed. It was almost a shame that she only intended to feed but.. well, life was life. On the grand scale of things, this guy was nothing special, at least not to her. He was food. Despite that, she gave him a coy smile. "Let me guess, you are going to get me a beer, sweet talk me and eventually try to ask me back to your place, right?" she asked knowingly. She watched for a moment as the guy stammered, trying to deny but not really. She put a hand out onto his chest, feeling the muscles beneath his shirt as she leaned in. "How about we just skip right to the last bit?" she asked with an arched eyebrow. "It's been a while."

The guy was taken aback for only a moment before he began nodding. "Uh, wow. Uh... yeah, sounds good to me. I've... never had anyone...." he began. He frowned. "Why's it been a while?"

She gave him look. "Bad breakup tonight. I just want to forget it and lose myself tonight. You up for that? My place is nearby." There was that eagerness she wanted.

"Definitely." he replied enthusiastically.

The guy was quick to put an arm around her waist and even quicker for that hand to travel lower, squeezing her butt, even in public. So predictable, she thought. He thought he would get some tonight. He would definitely be getting something... along the lines of a nice rip jail term. As she led the guy towards the door, she cast a look for Nico, spotting him near a couple. She sent a small, almost imperceptible nod towards the Lasombra and then she was outside in the night. She pulled the aura around herself, the one that drew attention, keeping the guy firmly focused on her as she began to head to the entrance to the alley. "My car is parked in the back. I know the owner." she lied, the aura helping him to believe her words. She only needed to distract him for long enough for Nico and his prey to join them.