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Saagochque has a penchant for meeting people in strange places, a fact that Mearcstapa has certainly been subjected to more than once before. When she agrees to meet she provides instructions that involve going into a subway station with a keycode entry, a couple of hallways, crossing a stretch of unused track, and another door, also keycode locked. Both codes are eight digits long.
At least finding the doors isn't hard. The push bars or handles on the right ones are all bent, like someone rammed them with a cart or maybe used some jaws of life on them. Not much, but in a way that a person definitely couldn't manage.
Mearcstapa has dressed up for this meeting, wearing a pair of grey slacks and a deep purple button-down shirt with a blue (a desaturated dove blue, nothing too bright) necktie. He has his usual bag, and it's bulging a little from having his EDC from his pockets shoved in it as well. "Better than the pen, I suppose. You're ready for this?" This as they reach the second door and he consults his phone for the second code.
Jack's in black dress pants and a crisp black dress shirt, his gray-on-gray tie a little subtler than the bright floral prints he usually gravitates to. He hasn't bothered with a bag, but he's got his hands shoved in the pockets of his leather coat, and his mien flickers, getting more and more sketchy as they get further into the subway station.
"I mean...no, but I don't think that matters at this point." He lets out a quiet laugh.
Beyond the second door is what would normally look like another hallway, one of many that all more or less look the same and which someone could easily get lost in. In this case, though, there's an entire section of wall which has been slid open to reveal a chamber beyond. The 'door' is a truly massive slab of concrete, the likes of which would require heavy equipment to move in most cases, and it has clearly been slid in and out of place enough times that deep ruts have been ground into the concrete floor of the room beyond.
The hallway and the chamber are lit with dim lights, but the hallway's end where the chamber's opening is, leaving a yawning maw of darkness beyond.
At the sound of the door's opening there's a voice, Saagochque's, from around the corner into the usually hidden chamber. "In here!" it calls out. "Unless you aren't Mearcstapa and his friend, in which case I strongly suggest you leave the way you came."
Jack flinches at the unexpected noise, sketchy lines flying away from his face and dissolving into the shadows.
"It's us, Saagochque." Mearc steps into the dimly-lit chamber without hesitation (though the red popping up in his mien might indicate it's not without fear.) "Thank you for taking the time to meet with us. I'm afraid this time I'm not bringing something to intrigue you."
As he steps forward, he makes an attempt to take Jack's hand, if the other Darkling will allow it.
He twines his fingers with Mearc's and squeezes, and the finer details of his very apprehensive expression start to return as he walks forward, half a step behind Mearc.
The room itself is a large chamber, mostly undivided except for some hanging tapestries that section of a corner, and except for the circles inscribed on the floor in a couple of places, one of them with what looks like inlaid silver and another in what appears like it's either old paint or dried blood.
Off to one side of the chamber are a number of stone statues shaped like people, some of them with pieces broken off and a couple where it looks like they were reduced entirely to rubble.
Saagochque, in a perhaps bizzare juxtaposition to the rest of this, is sitting on a bright yellow bean bag chair on the floor near the middle of the room. She's a dark skinned woman who looks like she's on the verge of dying from something that has caused her to waist away, all skin and bones and no apparently muscle. There's an aura around her that's not unlike other Nosferatu that Jack has met, but much more potent, almost palpable, in the degree of creepy vibes she gives off.
She's also blindfolded.
"Hello Mearcstapa," Saagochque says. "I suspect I know a bit about the business that brought you to me, and I assure you that intrigued is not the right word." That hangs for a moment as she leans forward. "It's not you or your friend who has stirred thing up though, is it?"
"Sakima, I'd like to introduce you to Jack Martingale, of the Spring Court and IATSE Local 8." As he steps into the room, he's careful to step over the circles of paint or blood, because it's not polite to wreck someone else's ritual circle. "He brings a complaint against a vampire within your city, Anna-Marie Cordray. Jack, the Sakima Saagochque. You're up."
Jack's gaze flicks all around the room as he walks in, following Mearc's lead to step around the ritual circles. His eyes finally settle on Saagochque, and he nods his head. "'S nice to meet you, ma'am, thanks for taking the time to see us. I...hmm." Pleasantries over, he pauses to take a breath. "Didn't stir things up on purpose, I was...approached my Ms. Cordray, a few days ago, 'cause she was interested in 'making a donation' to the union. In exchange for me being her 'in', there. She threatened my -" He looks sidelong at Mearc, "another one of us. And me, as well. And she straight-up said she knew I wasn't human, to try and get me in her pocket." He grimaces and shudders.
Saagochque listens to Mearc and then Jack, sitting as still as a corpse except for the slow shift of her head from one to the other when the speaker changes. She doesn't say anything after Jack finishes, at least not for close to ten seconds, and then she reaches up and pulls the blindfold over the top of her head and starts to rise to her feet. She stands without ever putting her hands on the ground, just using the strength of the spindly legs under the long, loose skirt she's wearing.
Her eyes are still closed when she reaches a standing height, which is not an imposing one in stature, even if she oozes power in a way not entirely unlike one of the Lost whose connection to the Wyrd is almost palpable. "I believe you," she says as she opens her eyes. "You can relax. Knowing you can bind me to my words I say to you: I will ensure you leave my presence tonight unharmed."
Mearc gestures for Jack to go on and Seal that promise, the color of his freckles normalizing and a tiny almost-smile on his face. "This sort of behavior wasn't something I would have expected from one of yours in this city, given our own past dealings."
Jack's mantle flares, the metallic scent of blood almost overwhelming the otherwise fresh smell of an oncoming rainstorm, and seals the pledge with a nod. He takes another, slightly shaky breath. "We were...hoping to bring the matter to the head of her family."
"I won't say that trying to get people under their thumbs is precisely out of character for the members of my domain," Saagochque answers casually. "A part of how we survive is by having influence in areas where we can't directly participate, in order to direct attention away from us or provide us with access that might otherwise be beyond our reach. I can't walk into a DMV and apply for a drivers license, for instance."
"Usually we're more subtle than that," she continues. "And being unsubtle when dealing with someone you don't think is human is particularly perplexing, since you never know what they might be able to do in response." She pauses and asks, "what union? Sorry, I'm not actually familiar with the IATSE Local 8."
Mearcstapa tries to find somewhere out of the way to be, where he can pipe up if he needs to, perhaps near the shattered statues? They look interesting.
Some of the statues are wearing more modern clothing. Some of them, particularly the ones that look like time has degraded them far more than the others, are wearing older clothing. They're all extremely realistic, and seem to depict people in the middle of actions and movements that seem really strange moments in time for a sculptor to try to capture.
"Ah - the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. Stagehand's union, I don't really know what she wants with it." Jack shrugs. "She was pretty subtle to begin with - 'til I didn't give her what she wanted. And told me I was hers anyway, which...mm." There's a grimace. "She seemed to think that threatening...literally everything in my life was a good way to get me to do what she wanted. 'S not."
Jack would notice Mearc's freckles doing rapid color shifts, before he glances at Saagochque and goes very green.
"Oh," Saagochque seems a little surprised. "There's a union for that? Good." A moment later she brushes the thought away with a wave of her hand. "If she decided to tell you that she owns you, then I suspect she either doesn't know what you are or doesn't know anything about your kind, so perhaps that can be a small comfort. She's a new arrival in town, and I don't think she's joined a family yet. What outcome are you hoping for in speaking with my people about this?"
"There's a union for most everything." Jack gives her a little smile. "I don't think she knows what we are, but I don't think knowing would've stopped her. She's...she knows how to make good on all the shit she said she'd do. I was...hoping that one of her own might be better off explaining to her why antagonizing folks the way she did is a very very bad idea."
"Personally, I'm hoping we don't ruffle feathers in any response we make to make ourselves feel safe. I'm...not sure she's capable of grasping that we're people, based on the past conversation I've had with her. She might currently be taking me for a very uppity ghoul."
Saagochque listens impassively to what Jack is saying to her, then shifts her attention to Mearc. As he finishes his statement her jaw clenches visibly and her hands curl into fists before she says quietly, "I suggest that you avoid using that term in my presence again if you wish us to remain on friendly terms."
He nods his understanding. "She's the one who used it while guessing what I am."
Jack blinks, the conversation having drifted just slightly outside his knowledge base. "I...yeah. She's a threat, right now. I don't wanna mess things up between all of us," he gestures to indicate Changelings and Kindred as a whole, "in making sure we're safe."
"She called you uppity?" Saagochque asks, not sounding surprised, but relaxing her tensed muscles. "I shouldn't be surprised." Her dark eyes turn to rest her gaze on Jack again. "I'll rarely fault someone for protecting themselves in the face of threats to themselves and the people they love. I believe you, in this case, that she started it. Would you be willing to let one of my people, who I trust, witness your memory of the conversation to stand as witness?"
"Oh, I meant the other word. Ghoul, she used." He pauses, working backwards, and nods. "Right, makes sense. I apologize and will not use that adjective in your presence again. Jack, you can Seal me on that, if you'd be so kind."
"...Sure, yeah." Jack glances at Saagochque, not making eye contact but watching her expression, and his mantle flares again to seal the pledge.
"They can't...change the memory, or any shit like that, right? Just...see what I saw?"
"Good," is all Saagochque says before leaving the matter of terminology where it falls. "In this case, Jack, they would only be looking. I don't know the details of how promises work for your people, only that they do -- I don't need to know. I would ask them to give their word only to look, and only at that one memory, if it made you more comfortable."
"That..." he takes a moment to think, frowning slightly as he does. "That would help. I uh...have the inital message her secretatry left with me, too, but my memory'll probably give you a better idea of what went on."
"Esme suggested we keep documentation on hand that Cordray reached out and initiated things. Which was a good point to make."
"I'll say, it makes me unhappy when one of my people causes enough problems that I have to get involved," Saagochque says, grumbling like she doesn't care who knows that she's grumpy. "I wish they'd be adults. In cases like this, though, having evidence helps because if her friends come complain to me later about your retaliations, I can just tell them I know very well she brought it on herself."
Mearc nods. "I would like to note that our community has been warned to avoid her, and I've mentioned the matter to a few of yours who I am on good term with. It's not exactly a private matter at this point. I may have acted rashly in that regard, I admit. However, I don't regret making sure her name spread among us, as someone who is a potential threat."
"I think we'd all be happiest if we don't need you to intervene. Or our Crowns. Means something's gone very wrong."
An almost skeletal hand brushes casually through the air as the Sakima says, "you warned some of my people about a potential problem, and presumably weren't lying to them. What do I have to complain about? Better to give warnings too fast than too slow. I'll talk to my friend about coming to check your memory, and then get in touch, if that works for you?" This is directed at Jack, not at Mearc. "If you want to leave me your number I can reach out directly, but we can connect through Mearcstapa if that makes you more comfortable. It should only take a few minutes, once we figure out a time."
Mearc nods. "I do have one more matter I'd like to raise. If you don't mind. One of yours named Shiri sent a messenger to reach out to a friend of mine who's an artist. The messenger was...perhaps less than polite in how the message was conveyed, and that's been dealt with on the side, but I'd like to confirm if them asking an artist to get in contact to paint a mural is something that aligns with your understanding of their motives. The artist in question is someone I'm protective of, so I'd like to at least be able to confirm that much."
Jack glances at Mearc, then back to Saagochque. "I'll leave my number with you, sure. Is it something I can bring someone along to? Mearcstapa or...just someone." He looks to Mearc again as the other Darkling speaks.
Saagochque laughs when Mearc's other matter comes out. "Oh, that sounds like Shiri for sure" she says. "They have a gallery over on the Avenue of the Arts. They made a large donation to the Public Schools when that whole protest happened over the recent art show, or whatever," she waves her hand again, not clear on the details and not caring. "It came up in the news. I don't know if it was in the news that they went to the protests, too. Getting involved with things related to art is pretty much what they do." She smiles at Jack, but it's not a very pleasant smile, mostly because of how gaunt she is. "You can bring someone, it's fine. I'd rather you feel safer than not."
"Jack, I can come with you, if you'd like. It'd be interesting to see the process." Mearc's smile comes easily, and he relaxes somewhat now that the important shit is out of the way.
"If you're good with it, I'd...be more comfortable." Jack's still definitely on edge, but he manages a smile for Mearc. "I don't have a card or anything, if you've got your phone I can put my number in, though." He says this to Saagochque.
Saagochque leans down to pick up her phone from the ground behind the bean bag chair, then unlocks it and glances up. "Go ahead," she says. Mearc might be glad to see it's not a Droid 2.
"I am good with it. Also, Mr. Chairman, we need to get you business cards." The level of tease in that last sentence is a clear indicator of how at-ease Mearc is now.
Jack enters his number, and his name as 'Jack Martingale' before handing it back to Saagochque. A blush blooms on his cheeks - smudgy, not scribbly, to Mearc - and he huffs out a soft laugh. "It's just a committee, 's not like I'm on the board or anything."
"Yet."
Saagochque clearly doesn't have much interest in whatever the changelings are talking bout now, and takes her phone back only to toss it down on the beanbag chair. "If you don't mind, I'm going to shoo you all along. I have other things to do. Unfortunately this isn't the only problem I have to deal with tonight."
"Thank you for your time and attention. Back out the way we came? I'd offer to close the 'office door' as we leave, but I know I couldn't."
Jack clears his throat. "Thanks for seeing us. yeah."
"Same way out, yep." Saagochque starts to turn around and then stops. "Your people haven't seen any mermaids recently, have you?"
"Among our kind, there's a few aquatic sorts with scales. Is that what you're asking about?"
Jack gestures to Mearc in agreement. "Not apart from them, no."
"No," Saagochque says firmly, but not upset. "Thank you, and good night."
Mearc nods, taking Jack's hand again as they make their way out.
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