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This scene took place on January 8th, 2024
Zelda Weiss:
The elevator chimed and doors opened, letting out a young woman dressed in a black t-shirt with worn printed writing bearing the logo for a German band whose name is lost to time under a tweed jacket fished from a thrift store, loose blue jeans and some rather comfortable looking black boots (probably the newest clothing item she was wearing). She looks up from her phone and steps off, walking around slowly and taking it all in as she rocked her head to side to the beat of music only she seemed to hear.
Daniel Hawthorne:
Scanning the room Zelda would spy a well-dressed gent sitting at one of the tables that dotted the Elysium, sporting an all-black ensemble that could likely fetch a pretty penny to the right buyer. Daniel glanced up from his own phone as the elevator doors opened, eyes as black as his suit scanning the new arrival before giving her a polite nod. "Evening."
Zelda Weiss:
Zelda turned her attention to Daniel soon after he spoke. "Hello. A good evening, or no?" The question was asked with a playful smirk. She added, "I'm still finding out, myself."
Daniel Hawthorne:
"So far so good for me." He replied with a smirk of his own, offering a hand. "Daniel Hawthorne, pleasure to meet you. Are you a new arrival to the city or have I just been neck-deep in work for too long?"
Vincent Drake:
The clink sound of pool balls smashing into each other can be heard in the corner, along with some expressions of annoyance, Vincent smirked as he put his palm out.
"And I believe that would be game gentlemen." the Daeva snickered as an assorted group of neonates handed him cash, he pocketed it before resitting the table for the next vamps who want to use it, putting the cue away, then walkec over to the main area, taking a seat at the bar. He was dressed in dark purple pants and suit jacket with a black shirt under it.
Zelda Weiss:
Zelda takes the offered hand and shakes it, "Zelda Weiss," she says with the German accent popping out to change that W sound to a soft V. "I'm pretty new, yeah. My first night without having to worry about moving trucks. I severely underestimated how much crap I have to move."
She looks to Vinny and gives a bit of an upnod and a friendly smirk of his own.
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Know how that goes. Having to pack everything to come here from Boston was hectic for similar reasons." Not that the Haunt sounded like your stereotypical Masshole; instead he sported an almost British accent, a nod to the old money families that still lingered in the city. "Welcome to Philadelphia, Miss Weiss. I'm sure you'll find it to your liking."
Spotting Vinny heading from the pool table to the bar Daniel paused briefly, watching the Daeva for a moment before offering him a nod of greeting as well.
Vincent Drake:
Vincent raised a brow but hey, he'll take the hook, and nodded to the new face, then gave a salute to Daniel, not having seen the Nosferatu since his exchange. He hopped off his chair and walked over, taking the nods for invitation.
"Nice to see you Daniel, hope you've been doing well since the last time we chatted." he offered with a bright smile, then turned to the new face, "Evening, how goes?"
Zelda Weiss:
"Shorter trip for me, fortunately. If people still did over-the-air TV, I wouldn't even need to change my channel presets. We get Philly News in Trenton," Zelda gave a chuckle, "Siren song, in my case. Trenton was getting dull."
Vinny's approach found her smiling back. She answered, "Going well so far, have a few things to handle tonight, but otherwise planning to check a few places out and see what the scene's like. Got any recommendations?"
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Well enough." Daniel replied to Vinny, his thumb idly brushing against the side of his pointer finger for a moment before he caught himself doing it and letting his hand relax again. "Yourself?"
"Ah hah. A change of pace can do one wonders." Spoken from experience? No, never...
Vincent Drake:
"Been doing decent, been a year now and I'm still standing, yeah, yeah, yeah as Elton would say." he nodded, as opposed to the Upper Class Bostonian, his own accent was pure North Philly, at the question of recomendations, his smile widened, "Now that depends on your idea of fun, Philly has something for everyone, wholesome times, adventure, forbidden desires, what kind of time we talking?" ha asked, the topic of the city seemingly sparking an energy
Zelda Weiss:
"Oh, wow, you made your first year? Niiiiice!" Zelda offers him an unironic two thumbs up, "That's a tough one, I saw so many people poof their first year. Some of the worst reasons, too." She facepalms, shaking her head, "Maybe I'll tell you more some time."
She then answered, "Uhh.. like underground music scene stuff, mostly, for now. Dark bars with corner booths in the back?"
Daniel Hawthorne:
"It has been that long, hasn't it...time flies, no?" Daniel said with a small smile. "Congratulations. Lord knows my own first year was a mess."
As the topic of what to do in the city came up he let the Scion take the lead, bannerman for the place as he was.
Vincent Drake:
"Well, their is a local elder who runs a nice place called the Succubus Club, would fit that alley, I've been trying to get my own place opened but the labyrinth of paperwork be a thing," he shrugged, "Concourse and the Voyeur are pretty good too, but Vertigo is a local favorite as well." he said, listing with his fingers "Dolphin and Laison Room are smaller but have some local acts that come in."
Zelda Weiss:
"Sounds like I've got a good start. Thanks for the tip. Smaller acts are more up my alley, they need the boost," Zelda nods to Vinny.
She then looks to Daniel, "My first year was going to be a mess whether or not I got Embraced, so it was kind of clutch that I did. Could bundle all the life adjustments into a neat package."
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Ah...wager that did make it a bit easier." He allowed himself a chuckle. "I'll just say that my coming to Philadelphia was mostly inspired by wanting to get away from the dark cloud of the circumstances of my Embrace for my own sanity."
Vincent Drake:
Vincent just gave a nod to that of 'mood'
Zelda Weiss:
"Oh yeah? I'm sorry to hear that," Zelda spoke in a tone that showed sympathy. "Things are better now, though? Dark clouds passed the horizon?"
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Very much so, thankfully. Coming here was a much-needed change, and I'm grateful for it."
Vincent Drake:
"You'll find this city is much more...laid back, as it where, here we're focused less on Covenant lines and more on Families, the Sakima often compares our community to one big extended family, have you found a good fit?" Vincent asked
Zelda Weiss:
"Glad to hear it," Zelda told Daniel with a smile. Vinny question gets a nod from her, "Oh yeah, I already had a pretty good working relationship with Okorafor & Kan when I was in Trenton; I happen to have a lot in common with Okorafor, so it was an easy fit. How about you two?"
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Touati as far as family goes, and the Academy as far as covenant."
Vincent Drake:
Vincent gave a chuckle and rubbed the back of his head, "I've bounced around myself, started in Rodriguez, didn't fit, nice people tho, fell in the party line with the Wrights, joined up with an up and coming group that's recently disolved, so I'm now back with the Wrights," he gave a lazy salute, "As per my covenant, in the office I'm Lord Drake, but please, just call me Vinny." he gave another chuckle
Zelda Weiss:
Daniel's answer got a nod and an impressed expression, "Cool, I understand your family is in the arts a fair bit, I dip my toe in once in a while but mostly the arts of the streets, so I doubt I'll be a problem for you and yours." Vinny's title gets a snort of amusement and she shrugs, "I rep the Movement, so I'll have to beg your pardon if my curtsy is a bit rusty, Vinny."
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Art is art no matter the form of expression." Daniel said with a smile. "I'm a fashion designer myself, with a studio near Rittenhouse Square."
Vincent Drake:
Vincent just gave a shocked pikachu face and put his hand to his chest, "Do I look like I was born in some Ivory Tower," he laughed, "Born in Fairhill, raised in the streets, thank you very much, don't curtsy on my account."
Zelda Weiss:
Zelda smirked, "Good, good. The title stuff got very silly in Bonn. I'll give it to American Vicks, it's less cringe when your name isn't a thirty-second throwback to the Holy Roman Empire."
With a look to Daniel, she says, "I'll keep it in mind if I need something specific and custom. It's rare, but it happens. Got a card or something, or should I just find your studio the old fashioned way?"
Daniel Hawthorne:
"You'd be surprised. I grew up in the First Estate in Boston and they could be just as wound tight about things as those from Europe."
"I do indeed." He went into his jacket pocket and pulled out a slim card case, offering Zelda one of the cards within, the name Hawthorne Studios and address and contact information inscribed neatly on the front with a hand-written number on the back. "Number on the back is my cell phone, best way to get a hold of me."
Vincent Drake:
Vincent gave a shrug, "I went in thinking it would like Game of Thrones, wild parties and hot noble chicks, but it's just rubbing elbows at country clubs, kinda bummed really." he snickered, "But....it is a good fit for me, all things considered." he relented
Zelda Weiss:
Slick and well-practiced, she slips a hand into her jacket and pulls out a card of her own, then takes his and swaps in hers. She checks Daniel's out, looking on the back, "Good, good.. mine's got business info, but it's a co-op, I'm technically 'in charge', but it's more a founder emeritus thing, I don't boss people around." Her card identifies her as the CEO of Vigilance International Business Intelligence and lists a number, email, and has a QR code for encrypted messaging.
She offers another card to Vinny, "Well, how about I give you this card, and you use that QR code if it ever stops fitting you?"
Daniel Hawthorne:
Daniel looked over the card, nodding as he slid it into the case and pocketed it once again. "Not a bad way to run it. I'm more 'back of house' since daily matters are handled by my sister for obvious reasons, but I keep an eye on things and do the usual schmoozing that's needed for evening events."
Vincent Drake:
Vincent took the card and looked it over, "I need a card one day," he muttered, although mentally he filed 'VIBI' as something to research, "And what excatly would I do with this QR code?" he mused, "You Wikileaks for undead or something?"
Zelda Weiss:
"Oh yeah, saves me so much bullshit," Zelda says with eyes intentionally wide and weary as she rolls those eyes back in disgust. "There are actually people out there who love filling out paperwork, and I'm glad they're with us because I cannot waste my life with it, they deserve more than a living wage."
Vinny's question earned a smirk from her, "Provides a link to an address you can use for a relatively secure way to reach out; it's a two-way street, give information with it, or ask for information with it."
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Here here. My accountant is a saint and I make sure she gets paid more than she's worth." He chuckled, nodding at the explanation of the code. "Handy, that."
Vincent Drake:
Vincent would love to join the 'good to have people keep things oiled', but something tells him the less he says on his drugs and sex ventures, the better, especially around Zelda. "A good support network is always good, no one person can keep shit afloat themselves, no matter how talented." he nodded, then turned to Daniel, "I bet Val's endorsement was good for business, didn't know you two were acquainted."
Zelda Weiss:
Zelda nods to Daniel in agreement, "Yes, though I worry for how long such things will stay secure. One of the benefits of business intelligence is that I'll hopefully have a heads up when it stops, and know the next thing to switch to."
She looks between the two of them as they discuss Val.
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Very much so, yes." Daniel nodded to Vinny with a small smile. "We've had a few solid conversations and I was more than happy to serve as her outfitter for the competition in Antwerp."
"True indeed. I'm decently technically savvy, although more on the design front than security matters. I leave that to the professionals."
Vincent Drake:
"I've done some amateur hacking," Vincent admitted, "Came in handy looking into Seven, hoped what I found helped quet things down." he remembered his first few nights
Zelda Weiss:
"My staff are the professionals, if you ever need something secured," Zelda said with a smile, beaming with pride in her crew. The mention of seven got her attention and a raised eyebrow, "I would hope so, too. This a recent issue..?"
Daniel Hawthorne:
"It was about a year ago, far as I know it's been handled." He eyed Vinny at that for confirmation, what with him being more involved in the matter.
Vincent Drake:
Vincent nodded, "It was one of my first services to the community, had an encounter with...owls that night, managed to capture one, I'm just glad I survived, haven't heard anything since so it seems it was enough info to clean it up."
Zelda Weiss:
Zelda nodded and seemed reassured, "Aha, well good on you. Good citizen and all that. Like to see someone get active and do their part." She gives thumbs up of approval once more.
She smiles and looks between the two of them, "So, for real, I'd love to stick around all night, but I got a few places to check out before closing time, things to do. Hope to see you both again soon, maybe out and about?"
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Most definitely. I tend to be either here or at the factory as far as elysia go, so I'm easy enough to find." He said with a smile, giving the pair a nod. "I should be heading out as well, admittedly. Good seeing you again, Vincent, and a pleasure meeting you Miss Weiss."
Vincent Drake:
"I'm honestly a rare sight in Elysium, more a Waffle House guy, if ya need me Fairhill would be best bet." he gave each a nod as they said their good byes, "Good to see ya Daniel, and nice meeting you." he said to Zelda
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