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Atalo Ceres:
Making his way inside with Cerberus at his heels and wearing leather armour with his axe and shield still slung on his back, Atalo looked around before moving further in, finding a seat and settling in it. He reached out, patting Cerberus and rubbing his ears lightly, speaking quietly to the ghouled canine in Greek.
Lamara:
About the same time that Atalo is coming in, Lamara is making her way out of the house's kitchen with a plate with a sandwich on it and a bottle of beer. Finding Atalo there she pauses, laughs, and says, "I thought I was more or less alone here, and figured I would avail myself of the kitchen that goes mostly unused in a place full of vampires. Do you mind if I eat this, now that I've made it?" You never know what vampires will get annoyed by what.
Daniel Hawthorne:
Daniel looked up from the tablet he had in hand at Atalo's approach, an eyebrow arching at the armaments the Gangrel was sporting. He had also snuck in while Lamara was in the kitchen, it seemed, dressed neatly with a black scarf snug around his neck. "Everything alright?" The whispered words bore a note of concern, with a bit of curiosity woven in for good measure.
"Feel free." He added to Lamara, eyes still on Atalo for the moment.
Atalo Ceres:
"If you want to eat and drink, you should." He nods at Lamara. "It would be petty to say you can't." A small smile shows. "Do you want to sit?" His eyes go to Daniel and he gestures in a motion attempting to be calming. "Yes. I've just made sure to have weapons to hand in case they're needed. Following recent events with Rihat and the nereids it feels prudent. But I've no specific concerns to cause me to have them there, just general ones."
Lamara:
"Thanks," Lamara says as she makes her way over to a seat and lowers herself into it. She finds a coaster, puts the beer down on it, and then sits back with the sandwich. "I've met plenty of petty vampires over the years, so I've found it's usually better to ask. The fact that I speak for Henevi can help, but sometimes someone will decide that putting a ghoul in her place is worth some consequences later." She smiles at Daniel. "I'm Lamara, and if you haven't gathered from context, I'm with Henevi, Mother of the Circle of the Crone."
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Ah...fair enough." Daniel nodded quietly, then looked to Lamara with a polite smile. "Daniel Hawthorne, Ordo Dracul. A pleasure."
Atalo Ceres:
"I hope I've not given you that impression." Atalo muses. "I did actually want to ask for your advice, so I had another reason for being polite." He gives Daniel a curious look. "How are your studies going, out of interest?"
Lamara:
"Ah, a Defiant," Lamara responds with a bright smile on a face rimmed with tattoos, much like the ones that are on her arms and shoulders, neck and her hands, as they pick up the sandwich on her plate. "It's wonderful to meet you." Without fading, her smile gets turned on Atalo as she answers him. "You haven't, but I only like enjoy pain in particular sets of circumstances, so I try to be cautious. What did you want advice on, though?"
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Going well, all told." He took a moment to close the cover on his tablet and slip it into the leather messenger bag sitting near his chair, if only to be polite. "Been focusing on more mundane matters as of late, but still making some progress."
Atalo Ceres:
His head cants as he studies Lamara. "I rarely find anything that causes me pain anymore, it's a hard thing to remember. Why would you ever want it?" He nods though. "I've not been in an intimate relationship for a long time, and was hoping for your advice on courting someone." He reaches out, patting Cerberus lightly. "And, that's good Daniel." A polite smile to the Defiant. "I'd argue the mundane often still matters a great deal. And I admire the Ordo Dracul's efforts to become stronger."
Henevi:
Henevi arrives, sweeping into the Elysium with loose skirts billowing around her ankles and her copious jewelry chiming. She follows the sound of voices to the room where the two vampires and her ghoul are talking, and arrives just after the gossip starts. "Oh, Atalo! And there you are, Lamara," she says, smiling gorgeously, and dotingly, at her ghoul. "I'm glad you found company while I kept you waiting."
Lamara:
"Is there anything in your studies you're allowed to talk about, and are dying for someone to share the details with?" Lamara asks Daniel with an encouraging smile. She has just the kind of disarmingly invested attention that often urges people to talk. "I love to listen to people enthuse about their interests." She's about to respond to Atalo's comments when Henevi arrives, and she smiles at Atalo to show she heard him and then addresses her regnant, without getting up. "I always do, Henny. Join us?" She gestures to a chair, turns to Atalo, and urges him, "go on." Then takes a bite of her sandwich.
Daniel Hawthorne:
Daniel gave Henevi a polite nod as she came in, then looked to Lamara with a small smirk. "Not that I can say, no. Apologies."
Henry Moynihan:
There is a brief set of sounds from the roof of the house--a tap as if some large bird is landing, and then some shuffling. And then the sounds end, and Henry comes in through the back door of the house, dressed a bit more casually than usual--button-down shirt, jeans, his usual glasses. But no shoes or hat or jacket, and his hair is loose and floofy. He glances around those assembled with a bit of a wary look on his face, as if checking to be sure Harold Wright, Anna-Marie or anyone who might have an Opinion on him isn't present.
Atalo Ceres:
"Mother." He stands, bowing his head respectfully to Henevi. "It is very good to see you." He pauses as Henry stands, then studies the new arrival thoughtfully, seeming to ponder before he offers him a nod of greeting. Looking back to Lamara he pats Cerberus yet again. Poor dog must be sick of it by now. "Hm. What else to say? It involves someone I respect, who's one of the Seasonal friends, but who I don't yet know a great deal about. I feel she.. matters though."
Henevi:
Henevi doesn't listen to her ghoul when it comes to where to sit, at least not immediately. She goes to Lamara instead, where she bestows a hug and a kiss to the top of the head. Only when that's done does she beam at Atalo. "It's wonderful to see you, my steadfast Guardian." At last she comes around to the newly arrived Henry. "You look like you're expecting to see a ghost that isn't here. Are you alright?"
Lamara:
Lamara leans into the kiss to her head, and into Henevi, but she's chewing a mouthful of sandwich while holding the rest of it in one hand and the plate in the other, so the lean is about all Henevi gets, other than an adoring look and matching smile. Her attention's all Atalo's again after that. When she finishes chewing she says. "I'd love to talk to you about that, and I'm glad that it involves someone you respect, if you're considering intimacy. That's usually a good starting place." Henry gets a bright smile of his own before she takes another bite.
Henry Moynihan:
"Just not always sure people are going to be friendly, you know? I'm fine, though. All's good. Spent most of the night flying over the river, watching. No sign of the fucking mermaid-things lately." He shrugs, moving closer in toward the group and finding a place to just...lean and watch people as he catches up to the conversation.
Daniel Hawthorne:
The 'Seasonal' mention brought a pause as Daniel mulled over the the term, eventually giving the Gangrel a nod. "Best of luck."
He looked to Henry at his arrival, nodding politely. "Evening."
Atalo Ceres:
He smiles at Henevi, nodding back, and clasping hands behind his back. "Thank you Lamara." He tells the ghoul. "If it's better to talk about later, I'll do that." Nodding he settles back some, listening to the buzz of conversation, aside from musing to Henry. "Hgn, yes, I've seen no trace of them either."
Henevi:
"I'm friendly right up until people give me a reason not to be, which you haven't done," Henevi assures Henry lightly. "Lamara here is the ferocious one. Best be careful, or she might step on your toes while you're dancing." She gives her ghoul another loving squeeze and then takes a seat. "Speaking of the mermaid things," she says to none of the kindred in particular. "Has anyone heard of a replacement Keeper being decided upon, in Clayton's absence? If not, I've been considering volunteering myself for the position." Some of her attention is given over to the exchange between Lamara and Atalo, but it doesn't currently require her input, either.
Lamara:
"Later then," Lamara promises Atalo with an understanding nod. It's not necessarily going to be comfortable talking about that kind of thing in front of so many people, especially if he's uncertain.
Henry Moynihan:
"I think I heard Esme's currently covering, for here and for the Chocolate Factory. But if you stepped up, might be a good thing, yeah." He manages a bit of a smile. "And I don't mind Lamara stepping on my toes. It's worth it for the chance to take someone new out for a trot."
He reaches up to tip his hat at the ghoul, realizes he's not wearing a hat, and awkwardly rubs the back of his head.
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Haven't heard anything on that front, no. I imagine the leadership would appreciate someone stepping up, though."
Atalo Ceres:
"I suspect they'd be grateful, given the dangers we might face." Atalo nods to Henevi. "But I'd ask you to be careful. Clayton's attack might have ben entirely random, or his title as Keeper might have been the reason." A slight smile as he glances between Henry and Lamara, and then he ponders, tapping fingers together. "I have news." He offers quietly. "For better or worse, for those who haven't heard."
Henevi:
"That was the last news I had on the situation too." Henevi's short nod accompanies her continuing, "I'm sure she'd rather not have her attention so divided, right? I'll talk to her about it, I suppose. We live not too far from here, so it's the most convenient Elysium for me anyway." She suddenly frowns, even if just a little. "Then again, this Elysium seems to be cursed."
Lamara:
For anyone who might be paying attention to the ghoul, the lack of surprise on her part probably makes it clear this isn't something that Henevi is bringing up out of the blue, and that it isn't a surprise to Lamara. "I'd be able to pretty easily keep a bit of an eye on the place during the daylight hours too," she adds. Her eyes move to Atalo. "What news?"
Henry Moynihan:
Henry looks at Atalo curiously at the mention of news, tensing up slightly in preparation for it to be Very Bad News. "Yeah? What's the story, evening glory?"
Daniel Hawthorne:
The mention of news also caught Daniel's attention, watching the Gangrel curiously. "Do tell."
Atalo Ceres:
He nods, rubbing his mouth. "Anna-Marie is dead. Truly dead." He announces quietly. "Me and Cory are planning to discuss it with Renault later." A glance to Henry. "My understanding was he'd be want to be aware, as a Knight?"
Henevi:
Henevi is briefly surprised by the news, but not for long. "Well, I suppose they say that you reap what you sow, right? When you make enemies of everyone, eventually one of them is going to catch up with you. There's a good reason why I prefer making friends."
Henry Moynihan:
"Uh. You mean Remy. Sir Rembrandt Phillips. He's who you'd wanna..." He trails off, moving from his lean and beginning to pace the room. "That's gonna be a blow and there's gonna be blowback. Not too big a power vacuum, she didn't have a lot locally with us, yet. How'd it happen? And don't tell me hubris got the better'a her. I know that, that's how all Invictus go, who get too cocksure. How did it happen?"
Lamara:
Lamara's wince is all the negative reaction she has to the news. "It's too bad that she couldn't be brought around before it came to this, but she's hardly the first vampire I've seen die because they couldn't stop pissing everyone off." She glances at Henevi, who gets a smile. "Like my previous owner," she adds with a bitter note to the last word.
Daniel Hawthorne:
Daniel simply nodded at the news, not surprised in the slightest. "So I heard. Quite the Icarus she turned out to be."
Atalo Ceres:
"My mistake." He concedes to Henry. "And I admit, yes, I had initially hoped she'd learn and adapt to the city, but she failed to do so. And the possibility of blowback is why me and Cory want to speak to the Knight. In short Henry, she was captured by some of those she'd wronged and bought before the sun."
Henevi:
Henevi sits quietly and rests her gaze on Henry to see how he'll react to this news.
Henry Moynihan:
"It happens to them all. If you're the nail that sticks up, you're gonna get hit. Every time. Every. Single. Goddamned time." He shakes his head and moves to sit down. "They think I'm weak and useless. Fuck that: I'm just not interested in being the nail that gets hit."
Lamara:
Lamara eats her sandwich quietly while all of this discussion is going on, not wanting to interject more of her opinions into something involving the deaths of kindred. She hasn't had a strict regnant in over a century, but some habits die hard and there are moments it's best to just go unnoticed.
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Pride goeth before the fall and whatnot." Another small nod, followed by a knowing look to Henry. "Sometimes playing least in sight isn't a bad thing."
Atalo Ceres:
He glances at Henry, seeming unsure on how to act. "You might simply be more sensible then most." He offers quietly to him. "Are you alright?"
Henry Moynihan:
"Of course I am. What, did you think I liked her?" He manages a smirk, then turns to walk to the door. "Thanks for letting me know."
Henevi:
"I suppose I should be off to see if I can get in touch with Esme, too," Henevi says as she stands up. "Lamara, dear, let me know when you're on your way home tonight, okay?" The request is made like someone who worries and wants to be sure her loved ones are safe, especially after such news.
Lamara:
Lamara, still chewing, nods and starts to gather up her plate and bottle of beer, quietly cleaning up after herself. That takes only a few seconds, after which she heads off toward the kitchen with only a parting smile to the kindred.
Daniel Hawthorne:
"A good evening to you all." Daniel nodded to those departing, remaining seated himself for the moment as he looked to Atalo. "I have a feeling that the good Sir Knight may not stick his neck out that far for her, considering that she transgressed in your personal domain. Talking with him is a good idea, though."
Atalo Ceres:
"I should move too." He nods, standing and beckoning Cerberus over. "We can talk later Lamara, yes? And I'll help ensure she reaches home if you wish Henevi?" He nods to Daniel. "If one of the Circle fell, I'd wish to be told, given I think his duties are similar to me. Regardless of my personal feelings towards them."
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Indeed."
Lamara:
"Of course, Atalo. Please feel free to call me any time," Lamara answers quietly before she makes her way out of the room.
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