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Vincent was currently in what would soon be his base of operations and had called a special guest to look over the place before it opened. Wine purple shirt, open black suit jacket and black pants, all costumed tailored for him, he was currently leaning on the railing of the second level as he looked down on the empty dance floor, music was playing however as his head nodded to the beat, his own personal Playlist as it was closed, Hotel California.
And right as the clock strikes eight pm, in strolls Juliet. Right on time like always. Tonight she was wearing a green and black striped suit, she looks around and it is quite obvious she is very very much taking mental notes and inspecting the establishment!
Vincent offered a nod as she walked in, walking down to the main level by stair.
"Welcome to the White Corax, currently still awaiting it's grand opening but soon to be a hotbed of activity and comradirie," he said, arms open in a 'behold' fashion, "Not to mention to club below our feet or the VIP lounge where I'll hold court as they say." he shrugged, "I've made it, my very own Casterly Rock, although recently I've been told it may be more a Winterfell." he chuckled, "Care to taste our collection of spirits?"
"Mister Drake, those references are still lost on me however, I think I get the essence of what you are saying. This is your castle."
She starts to simply walk around just taking everything in.
"You are certain this is done. Completely? I will view the wine and spirits later, right now I would simply prefer a walk so that I can understand everything that you plan to do here."
he nodded and turned, waking up stairs for a walk and talk.
"Essentially, I've come on a. ..revelation of late, I created this place as a hub for activity, for the mundane world," he gestured around them, then pointed to the floor below them, "And for the supernatural." he smiled, "A place where people can conduct business, meet and greet and discuss things, I have a third floor with tailor made conference rooms, steel lined doors, sound proof walls, privacy glass, where, for a modest commission fee of course, individuals and parties may be free to discussions and negotiations in secure and private settings, their needs tended to by the house." he tapped his foot
"Three floors of solid concrete below us, a club for our more talented Guests, with tunnels to hidden alley entrances for those who don't want to be seen in the main club, where we can act and discuss as we would at Maddy's, I'm not making an Elysium, I'm making a Haven for all." he walked to the second floor bar and poured two glasses of Whiskey, turning around to hand one to her, "And on the fourth floor, accessible by elevator only with a pin code, a private lounge for Lords, Ladies, and my personal friends only, where I will hold court basically."
"My singular concern remains: you invite the foes of everyone to a single place. I understand your desire to recreate Maddy's into a club for people to dance at. Do you offer food here as well? I hope that you have a few chefs on standby and a menu with club food to maintain a crowd."
She places a hand up
"I appreciate the offer however, I have never been much of a whiskey drinker personally. I have always preferred wines and am beginning to develop an appreciation for mixed drinks of this century. Some of them taste exactly like pineapple."
he shrugged taking the drink back, "Club food as well as dining food for the conference rooms, if I may ask, which enemies in specific do you mean?" he leaned back, "I've taken precautions to make sure the down stairs is secure, I'm not going to just let hunters barge in here and shoot things ups."
"Mages and . . . Hunters those are the two I am probably most concerned about. We all know to some degree, what Mages can do. Hunters on the other hand are . . . unique in their abilities and to my knowledge can vary greatly, especially since they are basically humanity's sword against us."
"I've become to gather a retinue," he revealed, "And among them are a Mage and a Lost, so I'm not neglecting extra security in the magical sense." he admitted, "And they way I see it, if Hunters poke around here, if this is everyone's hub then they'd have the whole city alerted and ready to snuff them out."
"Do not underestimate humanity and a united fear against beings they do not understand. There are many examples of what happens when they unite against a common foe across history and it would be a grave error of your's to think everything is perfectly safe."
"Three floors of solid concrete, secure tunnel entrances, forgive me for asking, but was there something I missed, something the Drac or the Elysiums have that I forgot?"
She shakes her head
"I do not know everything that you have here. My point is that no place is truly safe. You can layer a place with all the magic you wish, but if there is a way to detect it . . . it stands out among buildings that do not have magic, does it not? Elysiums are secure but like all buildings, not impregnable."
"I don't believe it's totally safe, just as safe as I can make it be." he shrugged, "Private Security recommended by a woman who leaves nothing to chance helps."
"Curious. 'A woman who leaves nothing to chance' now what exactly does that mean?"
She tilts her head to the side, curiosity across her face.
"I simply know a woman who is without a doubt, a far more cunning and resourceful then myself and she has experience in maintaining a secure and private life style." he says, admiration clear in his voice
"Did you lease or purchase the building outright?"
She asks as she moves behind the counter and looks over the displayed spirits
"Outright, with some paperwork mumbo jumbo to make it hard to trace." he shrugged
"So you used a pseudonym or an alternate identity to purchase the building to ensure that it is not tied to your true identity and thus those you care about? I realize I may be coming off as being 'harsh' on you and I do apologize for that, I simply have no desire to see such ventures fail."
"Essentially, yes, and to be honest, my 'true identity', I've lived on the streets for years and never held a job, so my partner has been a massive help in making a fortress of paperwork to cover my dealings."
"You do understand that I am doing my best to try and look out for you, correct? I realize my demeanor can be difficult to ascertain at times, hundreds of years of needing to never show your hand unless necessary and it becomes something of a second nature."
he nodded, "I am and if I've been rude I'm sorry, I've had. . .issues with people looking down on me, I once prided myself on reading people but you elders. . .it can be hard." he admitted
"That is because many of us have forgotten how to be human. I have done my best to keep in contact with humanity so I can maintain it but even I drift sometimes."
"Where as I'm new and thus possibly the most in touch in the city." he smirked
"I feel like that was a poor attempt at a pun."
She replies flatly
he seemed confused then blinks, "That. .. was not intended."
"Oh well then this is a touch . . . awkward then i suppose. Let us simply move on, that way we can pretend that never happened and I can see the rest of the establishment."
he nodded and led her to the elevator that led to his 'court', putting in the Pin that made it go to the fouth floor, opening to reveal a large lounge with a far different atmosphere.
"and this, is my personal lounge."
"This feels more like a penthouse than a place to conduct business."
She looks around and seems to quite literally inspect the furniture because that's REALLY important, Juliet.
he shrugged, "I like to make people comfortable when I bring them to the table, and it's to serve as a base for my operations, their's an office connected." he said as he led her to a door, opening it and walking in, sitting behind his desk
"The lighting in here is significantly better than the other room. You should consider adding some additional lights to make it brighter. I think that would tie these two together better. You usually want to make certain that the two rooms are similar so that the transition is a bit more seamless."
"To be honest, I prefer dim lighting, and I feel the sudden transition is good to throw people off, as it to say, you are speaking to the god of this domain now." he chuckled
"If you prefer dim lighting then should not these two be inverted? That way you are in your preferred lighting and it would still through them off. Though make sure that you do not get a head of yourself, a location without station to back it up is just a location."
he walked over, pressed a button and the lights dimmed to match the other room, "I have a remote too."
"And here I was waiting for you to speak to an Alexa or something and show that off rather than a dimmer switch."
She responds . . . is she trying to make a joke?
"Well you have your castle. What next is on the horizon for Vincent Drake?"
he chuckled and put his finger to his lips, "That's a secret." he smiled
"Well then I can hardly back or support things that I am unaware of. So that would make my role quite difficult."
"Two goals, one buisness, the other personal, I'll tell you the buisness, I'm aiming to play my hand at being Sigmar or Aegon and unite the warring tribes, that is to say, consolodate the street level gangs."
"Please Mister Drake, I am almost six hundred years old try to keep the references a bit more . . . in my wheel house so to speak. I do not understand most of the references you make. I do not know what an "Aegon" is. I recall you wanted to eliminate or organize crime to make it so the city is not suffering anymore or at the very least, its citizens."
he nodded, "The best way to keep it safe is to control it, and to that end, though it may take me awhile, I aim to unite the street gangs under one banner before taking on the larger syndicates such as the Mafia or Warlocks." he explained, "I will try through diplomacy first, failing that conquest, but only after assessing my foe, for now the aim is to simply unite North Philly first, starting with Hunting Park and Fairhill."
"I find myself assuming that these two locations must have some kind of importance to you for you to select them. I feel like I recall you mentioning you being from Fairhill in the past, is that correct? You wish to retake your home? Are you attempting to remind me of myself and my younger crusades as an ancilla?"
"The gang I have. ..slipped myself into is aiming to control Hunting, which borders my home area so yes, uniting the two seems like a logical first step." he nodded
"Your home area? As in the location of which you and your significant others call home or a location that used to be your home? I suppose the distinction is not really a big deal but make sure that you play the game properly. If you must, go through the Kindred channels, you do not want to start someone in someone else's territory. That is bad for everyone involved."
"My childhood home," he explained, "Where I was. ..not raised, that's to kind a word, tolerated and learned to surive is better." he nodded, "I thought private domains was not a thing here?"
"People can still hold territory, this is mostly a residence or business but if you damage that place you would be in the 'crossfire' so to speak. For example my business counts as a 'territory' as I am responsible for it."
"What's the limit, I plan to sue to make the Corax my Domain under the Traditions, can I claim Fairhill and Hunting as well or choose one over the other, because even without being Tradition territory, they will fall under my wider buisness empire?"
"I am uncertain if you can select that much territory for yourself. That is something you should look into. I merely requested the small block my business is on."
"Whereas I'm aiming to make a buisness that would cover the whole city," he mused, "But the club viewed as Domain under the traditions should help, I'm hoping to improve my Protean in the coming months, but after that working on Animalism and Obfuscate should help cement that."
"I would encourage you to continue working on developing contacts within the city and those who hold influence. Unless . . . you plan on going out into the streets with those unholy claws and pummeling people like a brute. So uncivilized."
"Diplomacy was the aim, build trust, discuss what everyone can get out of uniting, have them swear fealty as vassals, when you get right down to it, the modern criminal underworld is a strange corporate/fuedalism, and if they don't want to come to the table, then I'll dig into them, research, hit their money and try to end it in one strike." he shrugged, "I can't run the whole city by myself, so I want to make. . .a mirco-Invictus, find partners who share my vision and I can trust to work together, divy up territory and enforce codes of conduct, basically form my own Inner Council."
"I do not see where the discipline "Protean" factors into that. You are turning into an animal, gaining the qualities of animals, turning into a cloud, or the single most useful part of it, having a place to sleep in an emergency."
he blinked, "Oh, their seems to be a miscommunication, I'm going to work on Protean aside from business, it's good for combat and I'm hoping to shapeshift before the Summer ends, I've even heard tell of a way to edit the body to shapeshift into another person." he explained, "After that, I'll focus on Animalism in order to use Lord of the Land on the club, Obfuscate after to use Oubliette," he smiled, "I just need to learn Dominate and Nightmare, and I'll have all Disciplines on some level."
"It is good for hand to hand combat, are you confident in your ability to throw fisticuffs? You wish to learn every discipline? There is little need for such a thing, you simply need to form a coterie with people who can make up for short comings that you might have. For example, I do know Dominate, so you do know one person who knows it. What you have told me sounds like an unlife's final piece of art."
he shrugged, "Not so much as a wish but I believe it's best to be able to adapt to every situation, it's not a goal to be done anytime soon, rather something to hone over time." tapped his fingers on the desk, "My strongest is Majesty, I'd go so far to say I've come to specialize in it."
"As one of your primary clan disciplines it does not surprise me that you would learn the most of such. Do what you wish, Mister Drake, I have already conveyed my opinion. Learning everything is an admirable goal but it is also a very lonely path if you do not want for distractions."
"I may ask you for your knowledge of Dominate one day, not soon but something to keep in mind for the future." he mused, "However, their is a Stratagem I wish to propose to you, one which I think will further the Estate's soft power in the city." he says, his demeanor shifting, his posture is less laxed and his voice lost the jovialness of before, becoming serious, his eyes a tad colder
"There is a chance you will become bound to me, which is something that I do not wish. The older you get as a Daeva the worse our binds become. I have a plan to hold a small council meeting to understand what is currently being done and to what degree as well as how deep our influence can run."
"Small council," he fought back a Game of Thrones reference, "Between Drac Oh La La, the White Corax, as well as a BDSM Establishment to be opened by a Lady I've met, the Estate will have between us three nightclubs, my idea is this, corner the entertainment sphere, if the three of us hold the flagships clubs, we'll control something important, the Racks, flow of information and blood, even if they are not proper Elysium, we need simply buy out smaller clubs and even strip clubs, even if it just means having a Ghoul or pawn as the owner, how easy then will it be for the Invictus to hold influence over the best feeding grounds in the city?"
"You are growing, Mister Drake. You have not simple ambition but calculated ambition. If the First Estate is to hold such sway, we would also need to grasp hold of other entertainment industries. Night life in a city is important, pubs, bars, nightclubs, parties, live music, concerts, cabarets, theatre, cinemas, and shows. These are all apart of the entertainment industry and we would need to move slowly with it."
She pauses and looks on reflectively
"Absorbing things too quickly will draw the eyes of others, with this in mind we should start small and work our way upwards. That way it will not be a blatant power move, we should also be cautious of areas that draw heavily from other Covenants so we do not prod anyone to action."
"There are many who see me as a fool, while it does. . .hurt my pride, it also allows me cover, nobody suspects the fool or looks what he does in the background, so 'fuck em'," he said the last two words in Russian, hoping if he curses in another tongue, she would not need to keep the Beast in check from it, "I'll look towards the entertainment that springs from my chosen sphere, Brothels, Drug Dens, I'll talk to my business partner to see if Casinos would be viable as well, that way it would look like I'm simply consolidating my chosen area of influence, rather then the Racks they provide."
"Why do you insist on playing a role that is unfit for you? You are not afraid of the future. Is it the fear of the past repeating itself that haunts you? If that is the case I would recommend that you do your best to overcome it."
She pauses and turns around to face Vincent
"You can not go back and change your beginning but you can start where you are and change your ending. Do not play a role that is does not suit you, we have plenty of people who do that on a daily basis. So much so that it would bring me some sorrow to see talent treat themselves like they are talentless."
"And what role, pray tell, does suit me?" he asked, "And please, be more specific, the fool or crime lord, which is not me?"
"The fool."
She replies bluntly and sternly
"The reason I have some reservations about you being in the crime industry is not because I do not have faith that you would be successful. It is that it is, by definition, a dirty and ruthless business. I would prefer that you work on a project that is less likely to end up with someone stabbing you in the back at your age. Of course I will support whatever choice you make. Just know that the extent is limited due to my connections."
"Like I said, social obfuscation, I do not wish to be seen a fool for long, but if it allows me to slowly build an empire in the shadows, so be it, but I promise one day, one sweet and glorious day, they will see me for what I am, and I will pay all debts that are owed." he said, a tad dark and with a flare of crimson in his eyes, "I pay back all debts in time, every last one."
"Sometimes mercy is the best option that one can grant another. Some think it weak but there is a certain strength in allowing another to be indebted to you in such a way. Remember: if you should harm someone's loved one then they will despise you for that. If you were to harm some sire's childe they would hate you for that as well. So may you repay these debts wisely."
he chuckled, "Killing, please no, I do not wish my head on the chopping block, however, I will take no small pleasure when I become one people seek out for favors."
"Remember there are different types of favors and that they are proportional to the deed at hand. There are elders that would demand all sorts of nonsense simply for having an audience with them. Little is more insulting to some people than having their time wasted, even though time is something we have a significant amount of."
"I meant more if someone comes to me for a boon in the future, I would take some small pleasure that I would reach a point a Boon from me is something sought after."
"Boons are everywhere if you look hard enough. It simply comes down to what you think should be considered worthy of being a boon. As I said, some elders think their time alone is worth it. Depending on the status of the elder, this may very well be the case. But most of the time it is not."
"And here I see time with elders as a curse," he rolled his eyes, "Present company excluded of course."
"Thus we come back to the point: depends on the elder."
She pauses
"How long until there is some movement with your project?"
"The club or the other?" he asked, "I have two, a private one and my 'crusade against hostile arcetecture'."
"The one that will have the greatest impact on the First Estate."
"That would be the Rack Strategem, in which case I merely told you of it's plan, thus now begins the slow process of it." he said, "Neither of my other projects have any impact on the Estate otherwise."
"This is something that you have been working on for awhile, Mister Drake. If you can produce some results fairly soon that would be quite the accomplishment."
he gestured around the building, "The Corax, is the milestone at the moment, an actual base of operations, I have also become the defacto leader of a Motercycle gang, the Night Howlers, who shall serve as my muscle, and I have recruited individuals of Merit into my 'micro-invictus', among them a Mage and two Lost."
"Is there anything else of note that you wish to add?"
"At the moment, no, my current goal is the unite the gangs that make up Fairhill and Hunting Park, but I need to do the research and arrangements, plus I have seem to. . .gained the ire of one of their number." he rolled his eyes, "Some people can be. . .shorted sighted, I should have blasted Majesty like I do the rest of them."
"I believe this has been a productive night. I would like you to submit your accomplishments to me as soon as possible."
"And if I get a good grade?"
"Is not for me to decide. Only to recommend. Besides, I would not wish to ruin that for you."
"I've come a long way from a con-artist."
"I believe I did mention tonight that you have grown since I first met you, yes."
he nodded at that, a few moments of silence before he spoke, "I am under no illusion when you first took me on, it was to consolidate a local Estate power base and gain enough members to form a Dynasty, but may I ask. . .do you think I'm worthy of it, to be a proper Lord one day?"
"If that is the reality that you feel you needed to create to make my actions make sense then so be it. You would be incorrect with this assessment however. I chose you because I believe in your potential, the potential to do exceptional things. I have had an eye for talent my entire unlife, I have been called many things Mister Drake. "Eccentric" being one of them, but this does not bother me. My eyes simply see beyond the faceless masks that everyone else passes on the streets every single night."
She begins to put her coat back on
"Do I wish to form a Dynasty? Yes. I think there is another question that would have the same answer. Could I have formed a Dynasty at any time in my unlife? Yes. The reason I chose this time to begin it is in no small part thanks to you."
now that get's a blink, "And what have I done to kickstart House Morrigan?"
"The Morrigan Dynasty has always been a dream of mine. The problem was finding those whom I believed were deserving of inheriting my name, as arrogant as that sounds."
now that got a laugh, not a mocking laugh more a, didn't see this coming laugh, "And out of all the kindred you've met over the centuries, I'm worthy of your name?" he chuckled, "Now I'm intrigued, anyone else and I'd think I've charmed with my looks, but I doubt you even swing that way, and if I recall, when we met I was something of a. . .example of how much the environment is a disservice yes, so, what was it, what did I do that seemed to say 'oh yes, he's worthy'?" another small chuckle
"Now you are doing what I have heard of is called "egosurfing" and I have been warned not to fan those flames too hard. I believe it would be best to leave you with your thoughts of this night and everything that has been discussed. I believe some reflection on yourself and the actions you have done might do you some good."
he shrugged, "I wish you a good night, until I see you next."
"Stay safe, Mister Drake."
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